What's up with the blog? I get:
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When I try to access it.
I tried a different variant. I repotted today and it worked very well. The downside is that it it's out of its bonsai pot for several years.
Plant your Acer at the very bottom of a colander or pond basket with no substrate underneath. We want to make growing down undesirable for roots. I used a colander that had slightly larger holes than a pond basket for a few quid off Amazon. Next chop up some sphagnum so it's in small pieces and pack it tightly round the area you want roots. I used a chopstick to drive it between existing roots. I then took a double sheet of green shade mesh and draped it over the top to stop the top dressing drying out. Place organic cakes close to the trunk under the mesh.
You've now created a much more desirable root zone higher up. It will colonize this area instead of going down for moisture / nutrients. You don't have to cut - just make sure the sphagnum is always moist.
Take it out after the first year and work the old root system only, leave everything up top in a desirable location. The aim is to further weaken the old roots and this will make the higher root system stronger in year 2.
You can do this for as long as you are patient enough not to want to put it back in its bonsai pot, gradually nurturing the higher root system. I used one branch as a sacrifice - more leaf area = greater ability (and need) for additional roots. Don't know if you can do the same without messing up your branch system?
After 2 seasons I had a pretty flat root system but I didn't pull any punches whacking back the old roots. You may have to be more patient depending upon the response.
Good luck mate - you have some really good trees and I enjoy the blog.
I airlayered it when I first purchased itHow and where did it fail?
Thanks for the detailed info Paul I might just give that a go!
I’ve also thought about aproach grafting some existing longer roots higher up the trunk to where I want them (I read about it on the bonsai4me website), have you ever tried this method? Do the roots thicken enough to fuse properly? I might try one on the back if the tree and see what happens when I put it the the basket.
Are you expecting to have roots come out of the bark on its own without cutting the bark? If that is the case, you shouldn't expect to have roots all around the trunk. Maybe one or two appear here and there. I hope it works for you.
Are you expecting to have roots come out of the bark on its own without cutting the bark? If that is the case, you shouldn't expect to have roots all around the trunk. Maybe one or two appear here and there. I hope it works for you.
I tried a different variant. I repotted today and it worked very well. The downside is that it it's out of its bonsai pot for several years.
Plant your Acer at the very bottom of a colander or pond basket with no substrate underneath. We want to make growing down undesirable for roots. I used a colander that had slightly larger holes than a pond basket for a few quid off Amazon. Next chop up some sphagnum so it's in small pieces and pack it tightly round the area you want roots. I used a chopstick to drive it between existing roots. I then took a double sheet of green shade mesh and draped it over the top to stop the top dressing drying out. Place organic cakes close to the trunk under the mesh.
You've now created a much more desirable root zone higher up. It will colonize this area instead of going down for moisture / nutrients. You don't have to cut - just make sure the sphagnum is always moist.
Take it out after the first year and work the old root system only, leave everything up top in a desirable location. The aim is to further weaken the old roots and this will make the higher root system stronger in year 2.
You can do this for as long as you are patient enough not to want to put it back in its bonsai pot, gradually nurturing the higher root system. I used one branch as a sacrifice - more leaf area = greater ability (and need) for additional roots. Don't know if you can do the same without messing up your branch system?
After 2 seasons I had a pretty flat root system but I didn't pull any punches whacking back the old roots. You may have to be more patient depending upon the response.
Good luck mate - you have some really good trees and I enjoy the blog.