Root cutting or not?

NOVAbonsai

Sapling
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Northern VA
USDA Zone
7a
My friend bought two nursery pre bonsai plants with intent to chop them back and I was wondering if he would have to chop the roots back at the same time. the two plants are:

Japanese maple:
-Right now its about 4ft tall and he wants to chop it down to about 12 inches (The base is already tapped a bit and its in a 3 gallon pot)

Should he chop it back and reduce the roots at the same time? Or let it grow with the roots it had for a 4foot tree with much more foliage (There are some leaves below the cut he wants to make but not many).

Boxwood:
-He wants to do a hard cleanup on this plant. It already has a good shape and trunk but he wants the middle more open so will be removing maybe 25% of the branches. I have heard you need to reduce roots on boxwood if you prune hard but is this hard pruning?

Thanks for the help. I don't have experience with either of these plants and I want his pre bonsai to survive because he is just getting into it.
 

sorce

Nonsense Rascal
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Berwyn, Il
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Where are you? Shtick it in the profeelay.

Boxwood die over winter here if not repotted, always of they're chopped and not repotted.

I just repotted a local maple and it's pushing buds.

Sorce
 
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