And one last pic- 106 20+ year old field grown tridents in a 16ft trailer (with a three foot V or they would n't have fit..... John

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Let me ask you this. What would be better? To totally wash a field grown tree of all soil, risk destroying all the active roots or so traumatizing the root system that it does not function soon enough to allow the tree to recover, or, partially reduce the soil mass, plant it into a situation where it can develop only feeder roots for a season or two then wash the remaining field soil from the soil mass? Sorry for the run on sentance, but it is a run-on subject.

However this is not the focus of this article. If you take the time to re-read (and I don't blame you if you don't) my article, it deals with container grown nursery material. Only some of which have the clay core form balled in burlap trees. You also must take note that my method uses the screened sided containers form my Training Planter to the water plant baskets. I will give you this on your argument: If you take a tree with a clay core and place it into a container of some sort, which can be called a closed container with drain holes in the bottom, you do run the risk of root rot due to the unequal draining properties of the caly core as opposed to a good bonsai soil.

I am interested in providing a measured and realitively simple method where by the average or novice grower can produce a good bonsai quality root system. If I were to post, as a method, the procedure you have described: Basically dig up the tree wash off all the soil and plant in a pot, what do you think the results would be? How many people that follow those instructions would lose trees? I have talked with many people that have come to me saying they lost a pine or two.

After talking to them I have come to discover that they bare rooted the tree. Is this why the tree died? Maybe yes, maybe no, but it is odd that this is the usual common factor I have run accross over the years. Maples, Cypress, and Junipers; yes you can bare root them with little problem. Do this with a White Pine, Mugo Pine, or perhaps a JB Pine and the results may not be so good. You on the other hand, according to your profile, are a professional arborist.

Let me ask one more question: If you were to encounter a tree that has been in a root bound condition for so long that the root mass is more like one of those fiber door mats you buy for people to wipe there feet prior to entering your home, what would you do with this tree? For arguments sake let us say it is a White Pine.

Well,
I will have to speak within the limits of my experience. We don't grow many white or mugho pines here, primarily because of the extreme summer and ugly winters we have- 80 one day -15 the next. However, we do grow a number of pines other than blacks- lodgepole, ponderosa, Densiflroa, short leafed, scots and grafts onto these root stocks. I have had a bit of luck with Mughos when we grow them under shade (30 and lots of water and I have recently acquired a big sinuous root white pine from the John Kipp collection- so maybe I'll learn something about these marvelous species.

I wash every thing- at least to the point that we have removed the core soil. Black pines, and the others because while I fear the complete removal of soil, I fear having all that junk in the pot even more. OKbonsai (Frank to those of you who know him) and I dug at least 60 black and scots- the biggest scots had a base of 9" diameter this year . They were all partially washed- done in February (Early april for you?) to where we had no lumps or clumps of soil. I lost one tree out of the group- because of a watering gap.

I, along with you, am not saying that this is the only way. We lost none of the tridents that were pictured- and we had a slow pot up when I got home because of work and really cold weather. But, we do primarily the same thing with Nursery stock in containers as well- why? You are almost certainly dealing with "young" stock- usually pretty tough and after a season away from the garden center- very well watered, fertilized and pampered. They are at their strongest. Now, get an ancient ponderosa or Rocky mountain Juniper or some of the old Hornbeam imports that I have had the pleasure of interacting with- no, we are more careful.

I guess the point is, do the rough stuff up front. Get the tree in defined media (bonsai soil) so that you know what the tree is dealing with and you can control its moisture, nutrient and oxygen exposure and go from there. Kill a $6 garden center juniper- tough to do if it is well rooted and planted- easy to do if it is a mat of roots- kind of like those fibrous cleaning pads.

Vance, I find your article to be validation of what we have been doing. I think you have it right on, and I firmly believe if enthusiasts would get their plants into conditions that they control they will be well served and have many fewrer unhappy, premature, potensai/bonsai deaths.

We do hundreds. I get very few complaints from folks who get them home and pot the trees into their favorite new bonsai pot- they can see what they've got under the soil. Thanks for the great article,
John

John: Forgive me somehow I was under the impression you were argueing my methods. It pleases me that you agree. My point in doing things this way and teaching things this way is that it gives those interested in bonsai some sort of direction that is bassed on reality and not some sort of idealized perfect model one often finds in the majority of bonsai books and publications. You do things the way you do them because you dared to do them that way in the first place and found that they worked. Being "in the business" you found it necessary to produce the best possible stock in the least amount of time.

The amature/novice/home bonsaiist does not have that kind of motivation or experience. Most of these individuals are at a loss as how to deal with some trees they are likely to encounter in the nursery trade. What they read in the books and see in the magazines do not come close to what they have sitting in front of them. So what happens is either too much is done too soon at the wrong time or, not enough is done; the remanants of this omission comes back to haunt the grower a few years later with root rot or a worsening of the problem. With no idea of how to handle the problem many a decent tree will decline and die if it does not die out right at the start.

I agree I too dislike having a muck core to deal with but this is not a real problem in a screend container like a pond basket where the incompatable soil types do not necessarily compete with each other causing root problems. I have never lost a tree in this condition as planted in one of my training planters for two or three years. You can water the tree all you want in order to get the core wet without worrying about the perimiter soil getting water loged. If you use the right bonsai soil the perimiter soil never exceeds field capacity so it is possible to make sure the old core does not become some sort of backed brick or the bonsai soil a smelly swamp. But again I have to say and I believe that in order to do it this way you must use a screened basket of some sort. A walled container is an invitation to disaster of root rot and backed cores.

Vance, it's not photos of the sawing off of the roots that would help, it's the next steps you take when you begin working on that clay ball or nested root coils. I have always believed that an illustrated article is far more informative than just text. Video is even better, I'd use it myself if I weren't so technically developmentally disabled.

Vance,
Agree completely, again, screened containers are always nice. We have started moving a number of diiferent kinds of seedlings and cutings to collanders. Nothing new here, just trying to reinvent the wheel.

I guess my perspective on the numbers is: Yes if you have two or three take your time, be careful with the taks- but still be as "quick" with things as you can effectvely be- it ismost likely best for the plant.

Hey John where did all those field grown Tridents go? Do you sell them, or are they your personal trees? Just curious...

Sold ~70 of them, kept back 35 for development, I will end up probably keeping 1 or 2 for posterity. They are really rough when they come out of the ground. I am very cautious (after doing all that root work when digging) to leave every possible chance for a bud to pop. This winter we will cut down to a trunk line and start the styling. PM me if you have any other questions.

Very good article. I've been told, and maybe you can tell me if it's true or not, to paraphrase...As above, so below. So basically if the roots are more to the right of the tree then you growth will be more to the right side. It's rather confusing to think this is true being that in most bonsai we don't tend to plant in the middle of the pot...aparrently in traditional bonsai thought, this spot is reserved for the gods or spirit or something. Basically if you plant to the side will the tree eventually be come lopsided due to root structure? I've also heard, trim as much off of the top as you trim off the roots. Since the roots support the top growth it makes sense, but is it true?!?

Little John,

In nature, a tree's roots will reflect its canopy due to structural reasons. A large lopsided canopy will require a similarly large, lopsided root structure in order to balance the tree. In bonsai, we control the balance of the tree. So, the roots do not need to reflect the canopy. We also train the top-growth to suit our purpose, which means we force growth to sprout "unnaturally" to make the tree look more natural. As for the "trim top and bottom equally" theory, it can appy to some species, but not to others. You must research your tree before attempting to prune.

Regards,
John L.