Removing tap root Japanese Larch

[MapleMart]

Hi, First time doing a forest/group planting today with these Japanese Larch.



They came bare root so I had to chop a good few inches off all of them to be able to plant in this pot. I left as much root as possible but im starting to question myself.. will this eventually kill the trees? They are just sat in normal potting compost, nothing special.

Does anyone have any experience with bare root larch and cutting off tap roots..

Tar

 

[Sir Jonesalot]

Japanese larch are tough. As long as they have some roots they are fine.

 

[leatherback]

Last year I did a forest of larch. Some of the trees were bare-rooted seedlings like yours, some came from a struggling forest planting with several dead trees. In the end we had to saw the old forest apart, leaving 3inch root stumps. The seedlings were trimmed to 1inch roots. Did not loose a single branch this year. Everything sprouted & grew, making fun of the trimmings.

 

[MapleMart]

Last year I did a forest of larch. Some of the trees were bare-rooted seedlings like yours, some came from a struggling forest planting with several dead trees. In the end we had to saw the old forest apart, leaving 3inch root stumps. The seedlings were trimmed to 1inch roots. Did not loose a single branch this year. Everything sprouted & grew, making fun of the trimmings.

That’s definitely reassuring, thank you

 

[Yamabudoudanshi]

Hi, First time doing a forest/group planting today with these Japanese Larch.

View attachment 358566

They came bare root so I had to chop a good few inches off all of them to be able to plant in this pot. I left as much root as possible but im starting to question myself.. will this eventually kill the trees? They are just sat in normal potting compost, nothing special.

Does anyone have any experience with bare root larch and cutting off tap roots..

Tar

I did the same thing today. Looks good.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

I’ve been a little less aggressive with mine. My seedlings came in plastic starting plugs, small plastic tubes used for starting seedlings commercially. The problem with them is the roots are confined to a narrow deep pot which creates strange roots that tend to develop vertically, creating a messy root system. I left them alone the first year but this spring as I repot them I have been cutting off the lower 1/3 of the tap root, straightening out the roots as much as possible and putting them in wide pots. So far they look healthy and are starting to push out their little “shaving brush“ buds. I plan to work back the rest of the tap root and remove misshapen roots next year when hopefully they will have gained enough girth to go into a forest. They are amazing growers, thickening much faster than my American larch of about the same age.

 

[Sir Jonesalot]

A tap root has two purposes. It stabilizes a tree and it is a searcher root that will send out feeder roots towards moisture on its way down. A bonsai is wired in the pot and the moisture is maintained. The first thing I do is remove the tap root completely. In the rare occasion where the feeder roots are lower down the tap root with nothing above I will remove as much as I can while still leaving some feeder roots. Next potting there will be new roots higher up at which point I will the remove the tap root completely.

 

[Rfarrell5888]

Hi, First time doing a forest/group planting today with these Japanese Larch.

View attachment 358566

They came bare root so I had to chop a good few inches off all of them to be able to plant in this pot. I left as much root as possible but im starting to question myself.. will this eventually kill the trees? They are just sat in normal potting compost, nothing special.

Does anyone have any experience with bare root larch and cutting off tap roots..

Tar

If you don't mind me asking where did you get them? They look great

 

[MapleMart]

If you don't mind me asking where did you get them? They look great

Thank you, I got them off eBay from a seller called ‘beechwoodtrees’ never ordered any trees online before so wasn't sure what to expect, but was very impressed. Just a tip, be prepared to get them potted on day of delivery if you can.