I would like to ask those who have knowledge, on how to plant a Bonsai and make it look like a TREE? I know the basics and then some, but am having troubles to get the proper height and depth of some of my Bonsai in their pots. I have a ton of good looking Bonsai ready for their FINAL pots, but would like hints on how to make them into the trees they're suppose to be.
Thanks. KJ
ps,,,
I deal with alot of usda zone 5a trees.
I might be mistaken here. However, I think the original poster is referring to actually getting the root ball of his/her trees into an appropriate size bonsai pot. I don't think he is talking about the tree above the soil. If this is the case, then the answer is somewhat straight forward. However, there are 2 things involved, time and effort. The reason why you are having a ton of trouble getting them into appropriate size bonsai pots is because, like the tree itself, the root ball needs to be trained. What does this mean? It means that when you get a tree, reduce roots, sometimes drastically,under proper conditions. Then the tree goes into a grow pot for 2-4 years plus to recover. After this time, the tree is then taken out of the pot and hopefully has produced a lot of feeder roots. Now, the root ball is reduced again. Sometimes it can go into an appropriate size bonsai pot. Sometimes it has to go into a slightly larger bonsai pot than you would normally use. It will be on the next repot in the next 2-4 years that the tree should be able to go into the appropriate size bonsai pot.
Also, when training a tree's root ball, growing as many fine feeder roots is the goal. The other goal is to eliminate or reduce large roots and stump protrutions. These can interfere with getting the tree on the correct planting angle or getting it in the apporpriae size pots. If you have been growing these trees for four years directly from a nursery and did not train the root ball, I am sorry to tell you this, but it might be another 3-4 years before they can go into an appropriate size bonsai pot. However, this does not mean they cannot go into a slightly larger bonsai pot and still look nice in the meantime. A good thing to keep in mind is that bonsai are trained from the root ball up, not the base of the tree up. It's like trying to build a house without a foundation.
I hope this was helpful and the answers that you were looking for.
Rob