Bare rooting hinoki cypress

[WNC Bonsai]

In his blog post “Taming the Hinoki Cypress” Rick Moquin explains that whenever he brings a new tree home from a nursery he always bare roots it first thing using a garden hose ot blast the soil from the roots. His resoning being that getting it out of the nursery soil and into well draining bonsai soil is the first step in development. Since I have three still in their nursery pots needing work I wanted to get your reactions to this treatment, especially @Adair M . I know most folks say never bare root conifers but I see Nigel Saunders do it all the time and here we have the only detailed treatise on developing hinokis saying it is the way to go. Since there is so little information available on developing hinokis I’d like to get it right.

 

[M. Frary]

In his blog post “Taming the Hinoki Cypress” Rick Moquin explains that whenever he brings a new tree home from a nursery he always bare roots it first thing using a garden hose ot blast the soil from the roots. His resoning being that getting it out of the nursery soil and into well draining bonsai soil is the first step in development. Since I have three still in their nursery pots needing work I wanted to get your reactions to this treatment, especially @Adair M . I know most folks say never bare root conifers but I see Nigel Saunders do it all the time and here we have the only detailed treatise on developing hinokis saying it is the way to go. Since there is so little information available on developing hinokis I’d like to get it right.

I've done it to hinoki,junipers and everything but pines.
Late spring into early summer.
They have to be growing strong and healthy.
No problems.

 

[Mike Hennigan]

In an attempt to resurrect the this thread, does anyone else have any input on this topic? Repotting a nursery Hinoki later today and may try bare rooting.

 

[CasAH]

Doing one this weekend.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

On young Hinoki - I have bare rooted no problem. I even bare rooted a 20 plus year old hinoki from a 10 gallon nursery pot into an Anderson flat.

But old hinoki, that have been bonsai for many decades, I would not do this too.

 

[Lorax7]

I have bare-rooted 2 hinokis. Both are now dead. Personally, I won’t do it again, but YMMV. At most, I would bare-root half, leaving the other half untouched. Then bare-root the other half at the next repot.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Well, I bare rooted a small one out of a 3 gal pot this spring and it has not skipped a beat. There is new growth now on the ends of the pads. I also did a large one (3-4’ tall) but only partially bare rooted it. By that I mean I left the fibrous root core alone except for cutting a few pie shaped wedges. It is potted in a kittly litter box in a well drained mix with about 20% pine bark. I have misted it several times a day since repotting it and it too has not dropped a “needle” and it has new growing tips too. The secret according to an old Japanese master is the misting. He said you could get 100% success with rooting hinoki cuttings with regular misting and said the same goes for trees too.

 

[my nellie]

In an attempt to resurrect the this thread, does anyone else have any input on this topic? Repotting a nursery Hinoki later today and may try bare rooting.

Mine is not a Hinoki Cypress but a Cupressocyparis Leylandii which I think both belong to the same family Cupressaceae. C. L is a hybrid between Monterey Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa) and the Nootka Cypress (Cupressus nootkatensis).
As I said not the same tree but it might give you some clues.

A tall nursery tree for landscape use it was neglected into the same plastic pot for too loooong. Drainage was very very poor. I cannot say about its age but diameter of trunk at its base was 5-6cm.
At first intervention last August 2018 I removed about 1,20 - 1,40 m. from its height and I fed it heavily. And then during past February 2019 I removed again part of its height so now it measures about 1m. from soil.
The first repotting was made 04 March. The soil was heavy, clay-like. I cleaned as much as I could around the base. I removed about 6-7cm off the pivot root. Healthy rootlets mainly high on the substrate. I did not used a hose but I worked with my hands, chopstics and root hook & rake. In the next transplant after two years, all the remaining soil should be rinsed well, though.
The tree was put under shade cloth but remained at the terrace of building (where it has been since bought) and reacted very very well. After 20 days the shade cloth was removed and the tree receives full sun all day long. Lots of new growth.

I guess the above are probably irrelevant to your question but I thought I might share for possible help...

 

[my nellie]

... ...so now it measures about 1m. from soil... ...

No, it measures 56cm exactly

 

[Jas]

Curious how these are doing a few months after? I'm repotting mine next year and would also like to know if bare rooting is the way to go. Sounds like there is at least one pro who thinks so. Thanks!

Well, I bare rooted a small one out of a 3 gal pot this spring and it has not skipped a beat. There is new growth now on the ends of the pads. I also did a large one (3-4’ tall) but only partially bare rooted it. By that I mean I left the fibrous root core alone except for cutting a few pie shaped wedges. It is potted in a kittly litter box in a well drained mix with about 20% pine bark. I have misted it several times a day since repotting it and it too has not dropped a “needle” and it has new growing tips too. The secret according to an old Japanese master is the misting. He said you could get 100% success with rooting hinoki cuttings with regular misting and said the same goes for trees too.

How

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Curious how these are doing a few months after? I'm repotting mine next year and would also like to know if bare rooting is the way to go. Sounds like there is at least one pro who thinks so. Thanks!


How

Still growing as if nothing had been done to them. See photos in the thread on “Hinoki Madness”.

 

[BonsaiSniper]

In his blog post “Taming the Hinoki Cypress” Rick Moquin explains that whenever he brings a new tree home from a nursery he always bare roots it first thing using a garden hose ot blast the soil from the roots. His resoning being that getting it out of the nursery soil and into well draining bonsai soil is the first step in development. Since I have three still in their nursery pots needing work I wanted to get your reactions to this treatment, especially @Adair M . I know most folks say never bare root conifers but I see Nigel Saunders do it all the time and here we have the only detailed treatise on developing hinokis saying it is the way to go. Since there is so little information available on developing hinokis I’d like to get it right.

what's that about Epsom salts?