The seedlings are bare rooted just for ease of handling.
Thread the trunk through holes.
Plant in a pot. I usually put around 15-20 side by side in a larger planter box (usually polystyrene fruit boxes but they are getting harder to come by now). Try to plant so the trunk is at an angle unless you really want vertical trunk. Cover the plates with 1-2 cm of potting mix.
Keep well watered and feed for max growth and so that new roots growing over the plate will not dry out.
Unpot the following spring to see how things are going.
Trim long roots to allow weaker ones to catch up and to promote better root ramification and taper. Can still move some roots growing in the wrong directions if necessary.
Plant into grow pots or grow beds in the ground. Feed and water for maximum growth
Unpot or dig regularly to root prune as above to promote better root ramification, encourage weaker ones and make any adjustments before roots get too thick and stiff.
Grow on until the trunk reaches desired proportions and roots have developed. I also chop the trunks regularly during the grow phase to get better trunk shape and taper.
You can see photos of the process on Shibui Bonsai blog.
I have not added moss to the soil. It may help a little but I think the heat here would just dry it out as quick as the surrounding soil. Maybe someone can do the trials and report back?
