An unusual Trident

[markyscott]

Tree comes out with a nice solid rootball. All feeder roots - dense and evenly distributed right up to the soil surface. This is what I’m looking for in my trees.



First I work the base of the rootball with a rake. Remove the drainage layer and an inch or two of soil. Work the base flat and remove downward growing roots. No need to go further. Inorganic soil doesnt break down or compact. Large tap roots were removed years ago.

S

 

[markyscott]

Looking good from all sides. Super-happy with its growth.

 

[markyscott]

Next I break down the wall with a single prong root hook and comb out the roots with a pair of bent nose tweezers. You’re just removing the outer 2” or so around the edge of the rootball and the top 1/2” or so of soil. No need to go further when you have a rootball that looks like this. Work from the edge of the rootball toward the center. If you find crossing roots or other problems, remove them now. A good inorganic soil mix should just fall apart as you work. No hacking, pulling, or grunting needed. This is a 1/2 hour job with a well maintained root system.

 

[markyscott]

Soil surface should slope gently downward from the trunk. Walls of the rootball are vertical. Base should be flat.





Done

 

[markyscott]

Prep the pot and securely wire in the tree.

 

[markyscott]

Soil added and chopsticked in. Watered, pruned and back on the bench.

 

[Adair M]

Soil added and chopsticked in. Watered, pruned and back on the bench.

View attachment 280673

You’ve been busy this morning!

 

[markyscott]

You’ve been busy this morning!

Well - you know what they say. Early to rise and all that.

S

 

[Michael P]

Wonderful photos of the whole process, and very timely for us in Dallas. The very mild winter has accelerated the repotting schedule here. When was the last time the tree was repotted?

 

[markyscott]

Wonderful photos of the whole process, and very timely for us in Dallas. The very mild winter has accelerated the repotting schedule here. When was the last time the tree was repotted?

February 13th, 2018

An unusual Trident

Cut paste back on.

www.bonsainut.com

 

[small trees]

I didn't realize how big this one was until today. That rootball looks really happy. Is soil mix just APL?

 

[thumblessprimate1]

I think Scott makes the trees look smaller than they actually are.

 

[markyscott]

I didn't realize how big this one was until today. That rootball looks really happy. Is soil mix just APL?

Yes. Just APL with a bit of decomposed granite and horticultural charcoal thrown in.

 

[Adair M]

Yes. Just APL with a bit of decomposed granite and horticultural charcoal thrown in.

What??? No Rain Dances, moon phases, or other mystical rites like tea extracted from recycled kitty litter?

 

[Decoy Octopus]

My back hurts looking at this! I don’t have any trees nearly this large and learned the value of posture while repotting yesterday. looks like you’ve got a nice setup for all your work =)

 

[Michael P]

Sorry, what does APL stand for? I'm terrible with abreviations.

 

[markyscott]

Sorry, what does APL stand for? I'm terrible with abreviations.

akadama-pumice-lava

aka Boon mix after Boonyarat Manakitivipart who popularized it in the US and very similar Japanese soil blends such as Aoki and Clay King.

Scott

 

[markyscott]

Partial outer canopy defoliation. It’s mid March for chrissake!

First let it grow strong. Then cut back all the extending shoots back to the first node. Leave all of the weak interior shoots alone. Leave all of the branches you wish to strengthen alone to extend.
Then let it grow. After a couple of weeks a new flush will develop and the process may be repeated.

 

[Gustavo Martins]

Just thinned mine today as well

 

[Djtommy]

Mine is starting to leaf out