For Sifu

[Anthony]

Eh Sifu [ @Adair M ]
[ confused face ]

agreed, but it is also very healthy and that was an old image and I admitted to being wrong.
How about these images?

We only have a few pots more shallow than these.

Second image tree is lifting itself out of the pot.

Good Day
Anthony

2013 -



2015 nov. Same pot

 

[Adair M]

The first image is ok, but the second is too mounded.

As you observed, tree appears to be pushing itself out of the pot.

If you're growing sacrifice branches, why bother with a pot? Why not just build a grow box?

 

[Adair M]

When, growing out material, it's perfectly acceptable to put it in an oversized container. Having it be a bit wide is good as it encourages the roots to grow out, rather than down. This way, you can fill the growing container with soil, do that your roots can grow out flat.

If you mound the soil in the growing container, the roots HAVE to grow downwards! They CANT grow out sideways! There's no soil away from the trunk!

The point is not to have level Soil, the goal is to build a level, spreading nebari.

 

[Anthony]

Sifu [@Adair M ],

What you are looking at is an extreme example of a tree able to trunk thicken in a shallow pot
using sacrificial branches.

In fact, if you grew this Ficus p. in a grow pot it would be difficult to. refine it. Plus it does
not really like a lot of organic matter.

This year it's trunk is 3 " in diameter and all the work has gone to the canopy. It was meant to
be a 15" tall tree and uses the 1 to 5 ratio, as trunk to height goes.

The pot is only 3/4 " deep and the soil is 90 % rounded gravel to 10 % aged compost by volume.
As fertilising goes, it is about 3 teaspoons of aged compost plus a teaspoon of 12 N .... Blaucorm,
when anyone remembers.

So maybe this is an example of the - shallow pot holding more water ?

Placement is full sun and the area is breezy.

There are several of these in the same shape of pot and fici as - informal, leaning, broom.
and one as just tall.

This ficus p. is known for large surface root spreads.
Good Day
Anthony

Here is an early failure. Wounds are large and will take much attention when comes
time to heal and do over.

 

[Adair M]

Anthony,

Remember my "Phases of bonsai" thread?

In it I discuss the fact that you really don't try to create ramification (refine) while also trying to build trunk. To build trunk, you need a powerful root system, one that's able to expand. When that happens, the top grows profusely, too. Usually making long internodes.

When you want to refine, you really don't want lots of root growth. You want contained growth. Short internodes. Small leaves. So, THAT's where the small bonsai pot helps. To constrain the roots.

So, you grow until you're happy with the trunk. Then you build primary branches. THEN, you refine.

 

[Adair M]

Take a look at the Facebook post of a JBP being repotted.

Notice how they shape the rootball. The old rootball does get a bit of slope going down from the trunk to the sides. But then, when it's placed in the pot, only the nebari is above the rim, and the new soil is placed over the entirety of the old rootball, so the soil is now level in the pot.

https://www.facebook.com/felix.laughlin.1/posts/1551198674905546