putting a collected tree in a bonsai pot

denny

first off,i`ve seen vidios where hardly any of the soil was removed and i`ve seen the roots practicly done away with.
this is the liquid amber i collected from my brothers yard 2yrs ago.i removed 95% of the soil and half the roots.this is the biggest job i`ve attemped.the drainage isnt what i had hoped for,it takes about 3 mins to sink in(is that bad?i used sand,dirt and akadama).
it looks pretty good.ive done other trees,but not so extensively,so if it lives what should i do now?
im beat.

__________________
Denny
Still Growing in zone 9
So.Cal.

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Tony

Many of those books and videos where they take off 90% of the roots are deceiving. *I wonder how many are still alive a year later. *I like to work the rootball down to size over a few years time. *It's a judgment call as to whether it can go into a bonsai pot this year. If it put on alot of new growth last year it should have many new roots also and you could take another 1/3 off the roots this spring. *If it's still to large for your bonsai pot put it in a slightly smaller training pot each year until you get it down to size. The soil sounds like it's too slow draining. I would replace the dirt in your mix with composted pine bark.

Tony

Rene_Voortwist

Hi Denny,

When a tree is dug up a lot of roots are cut. I always try to retain a good rootball with the soil on it. I have never bare rooted a collected tree yet. I pot it with the collected root ball an fill up the remaining space with a good draining mix. The yew that I posted a picture of is in a container that I filled up with pure coarse split to make sure exesswater is drained of quickly and the tree doen't get waterlogged. I will gradually try to reduce the roots during later repottings. I think this is the best way to let a tree survive. Of course time will tell if I'm right because I only started collecting tree a year ago, but none of my trees have died (yet )
Also I always prune of part of the top of the tree to compensate for the loss of roots.

hope this is of any help,

rgds, René

denny

corase split rene?
i wonder should i replace the soil now.
tony,i plant orchids in composted bark.you do it for trees??

__________________
Denny
Still Growing in zone 9
So.Cal.

denny

would it be too much for this tree to change the soil right now?

__________________
Denny
Still Growing in zone 9
So.Cal.

Tony

Yes I do use composted pine bark in my mix. You said you have this tree in sand,dirt and akadama. What I mean is to replace the dirt protion of the mix with pine bark . Dirt can mean different things to different people so I may be misunderstading you. I think of dirt as having a high water retention and small particle size which will impede drainage. Not good for most bonsai, even one in training. Everything should be sreened to a 1/8" to 1/4" particle size for best drainage and root production. This should be prime repotting time in zone 9.

Tony

TreeBay

You can get away with a lot of root reduction on a deciduous tree. That may explain some of the differences you've seen in videos.

Tony's right if the tree hasn't already leafed out, go for the repot, but leave out the garden soil or dirt. Just use your akadama, sand and any of that fine fir bark you may have lying around, maybe about 1/3 each.

When you repot this time, take a garden hose to the bottom fo the tree and wash out every bit of the garden soil.

(don't try that with conifers tho' except maybe ginkgo!)

Trim the fine roots you want to keep just a little on the ends. It make them grow better.

Regards,

Matt

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denny

thanks,
after i find the leak in my pond,that will be my first priority for today,or maybe vise versa.
just too much to do and not enouth me to go around.

__________________
Denny
Still Growing in zone 9
So.Cal.

denny

ok,here we go.
my liquid amber:
[img:3297e66660]http://a3.cpimg.com/image/23/64/8780323-4968-02000180-BBBBR.jpg[/img:3297e66660]
as you can see,the pot is from one of the masters who prefers to remain anomynous,but if your lucky you can find a copy at wal mart.

__________________
Denny
Still Growing in zone 9
So.Cal.