Root Hooks

lehket

I'm putting together a list of tools I want to buy before my trees wake up. In looking through root hooks, I find that they come in one, two, and three toothed varieties. I haven't found anything that says what the different uses would be, or what the advantages of one would be over the others. Can anyone shed some light on this? Thanks!

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rockm

Skip any root hook with more than one tooth. The multi-toothed root rakes will mutilate your roots--ever try to pull a comb through tangled hair? Same thing, although, roots will be torn out in clumps. The single toothed rake is much more efficient and kinder to the trees.

susieq

I agree with rockm.... I have used my old root hook for 30 years and that is all it is, a large metal hook with not too much curve it it. I pull it firmly but slowly through areas and if it hangs up and refuses to go farther, I start in a different place and pull it through. Multiple teeth would be a disaster in my opinion. I actually didn't know they even made multiple teeth root hooks.

lehket

My thanks to both of you. I'd be curious to find out if there are any dissenting opinions. I attended a talk by Peter Adams at Nature's Way Nursery a couple of months ago (or thereabouts) and I recall him using a three-toothed hook and making a comment that he liked it better than the two-toothed variety (or maybe it was the other way around), but I can't recall why he had that preference.

On the other hand, me being me, I could probably do enough damage with one tooth, so maybe that is all the answer I really need.

__________________
--Dale
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Co-author of Spiritual Telemetry,
Host of Planet Baha'i and the Planet Baha'i Forum

Vonsgardens

We use 3 tine root tools on the bottom of the rootball to reduce the overall mass of the roots and soil, while keeping it generally flat. Use a single tine root hook and curved tweezers to work the sides of the root ball and up around the nebari.

Different strokes for different folks.

John

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lehket

Thanks, John. I think I'm beginning to get the "big picture" now.

__________________
--Dale
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Co-author of Spiritual Telemetry,
Host of Planet Baha'i and the Planet Baha'i Forum

bonsaikc

The "bent fork" tool that comes with most bonsai tool kits is also very helpful if used correctly.

http://www.bonsaikc.com/repotting_established.htm

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susieq

I am perhaps just confused here..... the root hook that I have had for 30 years is just that.....a large, heavy metal hook and handle....all one piece of metal with a loop in the handle end, maybe for hanging up. The multiple toothed thingie sounds more like a comb or a small rake? There is a tool like that in the new set of tools I got for Christmas and I can see where it might come in handy for combing out fine roots (gently of course) but I have gotten along without one all these years. A wooden chopstick tapered with the very tip rounded to avoid root damage, always did the trick for me with the finer roots.

You guys will have to forgive me here because I haven't kept up with all of the tools that are available for bonsai. I had just the basics for most of the 35 or so years that I have been playing in this hobby and there are probably a lot of tools for specific jobs that would make my life easier but that I just never knew about or bothered to aquire. The special bonsai trimmers, a concave cutter, knob cutter, root hook and chopsticks have been the extent of my tools until just recently. I asked for a good set of Japanese wire cutters and my husband said he had tons of wire cutters in his shop. But come Christmas morning there was that new set of stainless tools from Dallas Bonsai supplier under the tree. Now I have to learn what half of them do.....

There is a cutter of some kind that looks like a cross between tweezers and shears? (feel free to jump in and enlighten me here) That stainless rake looking thing...a multi toothed root hook? Then there is the multi tool that actually is tweezers on one end and some kind of flat, knife blade thing on the other end....looks like it would be good for running around the inside edge of the pot to separate the dirt/rootball from the pot for repotting

All of that in addition to the concave cutter, the knob cutter, the wire cutter and bonsai trimmers which are duplicate of what I already had in non stainless. He is too good for me.....

lehket

Yes, I do have one of those.

__________________
--Dale
----------
Co-author of Spiritual Telemetry,
Host of Planet Baha'i and the Planet Baha'i Forum