Help style this pine

Paradox

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I don't know shit about bonsai so take this with a grain of salt .

If it were mine i would repot into something large. Air layer the top and grow out the 1st and a new leader.View attachment 329217


Most pines will not air layer. P. nigra is one that wont readily air layer.
I think Zushio JWP is one that will but I am not 100% sure.
 

maroun.c

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Agree with the wire now. Assuming you do not get extremely cold winter. I do not know beirut / lebanon well enough to know!

I am not convinced you can just remove the roots. They seem fairly large.
Winter ain't that cold here, around 10 degrees Celsius typically , with frequent sunny days at 15 Celsius or more. Can go down to 3-5 degrees Celsius for couple days at worse in very cold stormy days. Last year we had 2 days at -1 which was a first.
Roots i doubt can be removed, looks like the exposed roots make up the base of the tree, not sure if it was grown on a stone or if its some failed air layer. Can try to match a stone and squeeze in between the roots or just pot in a but deeper pot and hide most abd hope base will root so I can remove those gradually.
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maroun.c

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Maybe wait until repotting, so that you can assess how much roots will be removed. On the plus side, you may be able to leave the rest of the root-ball more or less untouched. Do you have a pot picked out, or repotting back into the same? Maybe a round drum pot?

Not liking the pot its in, too small and color doesn't really match the tree. Not set on a pot really and nice pots ain't easy to find or ship here. Having couple pots made in dubai by a firsnds wife whos into ceramic pottery. Making the first 2 pots one brown and one green with shades similar to the finished glass. Will check if one of them fits or else will source a nice pot for it.
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Can you do one more shot of the roots with your black and orange spike to the left front of the shot? I think you are right planting deeper may be your best option, but I’m trying to see if only a portion of the highest root could be retained.
 
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Also a wide, shallow round pot would do this tree wonders. Rather than risk infringing by reposting photos, try a google image search on “literati bonsai,” for some inspiration for the pot and for styling. I understand the limited availability of pots, but just so you can keep your eye out for one, or some direction for the friend’s wife. A rough texture on the pot often appeals to me with literati.
I’ve always wanted a good literati, but i never look for one when perusing nursery stock. This will help encourage me to look for the long slender tree within a tree.
 

maroun.c

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Can you do one more shot of the roots with your black and orange spike to the left front of the shot? I think you are right planting deeper may be your best option, but I’m trying to see if only a portion of the highest root could be retained.
Sorry on travel.for 3 days so will come back with more angles shot by thursday, heres what I found on my phone.seems that there's a small central trunk below the bulge and then exposed roots all around, second shot shows how open the exposed roots are so I might be able to squeeze in a rock.
I guess I have to plant deeper to hide that tiny trunk below the bulge or else the bulge would be a huge reverse taper.
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If I am to try removing the exposed roots do u take them out one at each repot ?
Would specific branches fed by the removed root be able to generate new roots to feed them or is there some collateral root connections to feed specific branch or should I expect to lose some branches ?
 

maroun.c

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Also a wide, shallow round pot would do this tree wonders. Rather than risk infringing by reposting photos, try a google image search on “literati bonsai,” for some inspiration for the pot and for styling. I understand the limited availability of pots, but just so you can keep your eye out for one, or some direction for the friend’s wife. A rough texture on the pot often appeals to me with literati.
I’ve always wanted a good literati, but i never look for one when perusing nursery stock. This will help encourage me to look for the long slender tree within a tree.
I never was tempted by literati, nor by round pots but as u say the idea of a round shallow (possibly brown glazed ) pot is growing on me the more I look at literati trees. Again not to say that I have any real preference as my trees are still far from being there in any style but I'm more of a formal upright guy I guess :) then a gain variety is always nice on the bench
 

maroun.c

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One other option would be to fill the empty space with soil (if I can get it to stay) this way it looks like natural (although not tidy) root growth which still looks better than a pine floating on exposed roots which is not natural
 

Potawatomi13

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If I am to try removing the exposed roots do u take them out one at each repot ?

Removing most of exposed roots bad idea. See how trunk would reverse taper if these removed? Also would have big lump where roots grew. "Possibly" one of them that looks like leg crossed over other leg? However if doing Literati strange natural roots could be good thing as rule breakers;).
 
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