The Mad race to pot

RonMartin(deceased)

the workshop trees are smaller but at least as nice ;o)

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dtree

Nice thread - you are absolutely correct and yesterday I stopped as I was preparing to cram a barberry into a pot it wasn't ready for - I thought of you, Ron, and instead put the tree into an intermediate training pot where it is much happier. In a couple of years the transition to a smaller pot will be much easier.
-dtree

RonMartin(deceased)

Now thst is something that I don't hear too often )

Brent

I just thought of an analogy that might help put things in perspective: The rush to put a tree in a bonsai pot is like putting the frame on the picture before you are finished painting it.

Brent
EvergreenGardenworks.com
see our blog at http://BonsaiNurseryman.typepad.com

soonami

Marco Invernizzi just did a demo at my club on a good size garden juniper and he was very clear that in one season you should only style or repot, not both. I think this is contemporary wisdom--I've heard Walter Pall says this and read several Japanese artists say the same thing. I don't know what club you are doing this for, but when Marco told everyone not to pot the tree for at least two years and gave instructions on how to do so, no one gasped or looked disappointed but understood that the life of the tree was paramount.

The tree Marco worked looked great even if it was still in the nursery pot, and judging from the raffle tickets I saw people buy, 20 people probably combined to buy $500 worth of raffle tickets. I think if the tree was prematurely potted, some of the more experienced members might be reluctant to put money in for a tree that they could reasonably expect to die or sulk for years.