Planting on the ground

takumi25

Just a question for all bonsai experienced people here..If I plant my pine tree on the ground wont they be rootbound? So if the desired trunk size is achieved and then I'll have to take it from the ground wont it be the same as collecting from the wild? That means it will take more years till you can style them coz they need to adjust again after extraction.

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Aaron_K

Hi Takumi,

Planting a pine, or indeed any tree in the ground in general, allows it to grow bigger, quicker. This is because the roots have as much room as they want/need to draw nutrients and water from the surrounding soil. The more root mass, the more top growth the tree will exhibit. Obviously, the more suitable the soil, the better the tree will grow.

They will not become rootbound, unless there physically is something stopping the roots from spreading in a certain direction IE... if your growing bed had solid rock or concrete directly under it or building foundations at the sides etc. Trees only get root bound in pots because the sides and base prevent the roots from spreading any further, the same would need to happen in the ground in order for the roots to become "bound".

Once the desired trunk girth is achieved then yes the tree can be removed from the ground and placed in a training pot. The tree will need time to adjust, a whole year, sometimes longer before any styling should be attempted.

Try reading some of Vance Woods threads on Pines as he is extremely knowledgable about them. Also Bonsaikc has great knowledge of Japanese Black Pines that I am aware of.

All the best,

Aaron

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midwestbonsai

Well said!
-Paul

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Ralph

Just a thought about planting in the ground. Raised grow beds. You can build grow beds much larger than containers, large enough for roots to spread considerable distance. Then when it is time to collect, it is far easier than digging out of the ground.

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takumi25

sorry for a dumb question....what is a growing bed? is it some kind of a plant box?

Aaron_K

Like a flower bed or where you would grow vegetables etc. An area of soil on the ground where items you want to grow are planted.

All the best,

Aaron

__________________
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Muriel Strode

Vulpes pilum mutat, non mores!

"A fox may change its skin but never its character"

takumi25

Im confused....if aaron said its just a certain area of soil on the ground, doesnt that mean you still need to dig it up? Ralph said that grow beds are a lot easier since you dont have to dig it up from the ground.

Joanie

You can do a it a lot of different ways. You can put it right into the ground, and every couple of years you might dig it up and trim the roots back and then plant it in the ground again. That would keep the roots shorter and make the tree grow nice little feeder roots.

Or you can build a raised bed. That can either be like an open bottomed box sitting on the ground, or a tall closed box on the ground. The open bottomed box is better, because one of the best reasons to plant something in the ground is drainage. If you build a raised bed, using wood or concrete blocks or something like that, you can fill the above ground part with whatever good soil mix you want, and since it is sitting right on the ground you won't have to worry about water collecting in the bottom of the box, because the ground will help it drain away. I built raised (growing) beds for veggies first, because having them taller than the ground lets them warm up earlier in the spring, and it is easier to control the kind of soil you use. It works really well for pre-bonsai trees. You can also dig up your tree every year or two or three, trim the roots, and replant.

Or you can build a growing box. That is something different. It's a wooden box with lots of drainage. It's bigger than a pot, and allows better drainage, and also helps the roots to grow sideways instead of down. I will attach pictures of a cheap and easy growing box I built a few weeks ago. Make sure to use some sort of wire mesh or something in between the slats so that your soil stays in place.

All of these options work, you just have to decide what is best for you and your tree.

Anything I missed, guys?? Does that sort of cover it?

Joanie

Attached Images

	grobox1.jpg (55.7 KB, 18 views)
	grobox2.jpg (44.3 KB, 15 views)

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mordachai

raised beds are great, but unless you do regular root pruning you will be making a tree! depending on where you live and what type of tree you might have to root prune 1x a year to 6x a year. Here in S. FL things in the ground, even in raised beds quickly send roots out everywhere, under and around the beds too.. Since the beds are simply raised with no bottom, lets the roots have a real free for all. I think it's actually a great thing, but requires a little more attention on those roots that you can't see.

I have beds made of 2x6 and 2x8 lumber. Screws hold it all together(just two screws in each corner) and a few stakes keep them secure to the ground. When it's time to repot/remove/root prune, I can simply unscrew the boards and it makes the work a tad easier..

If you really want to grow in the ground your biggest 'enemy' is a big downwards growing tap root.

Use a good piece of stainless steel or concrete right under your tree. It will help all the roots grow sideways instead of down.

This winter I am going to build a few above ground beds with a nice piece of stainless steel under them(about 8" deep). I will put the steel through a slip roller, so it's slightly convex facing up, making water run to the edges of the steel. I haven't done full beds like this, it will be interesting..

I have a buddy who grew a ficus bonsai in a wood box directly on his concrete patio. It worked really well, no heavy work to get it out, but still needed regular repotting