Root Wrap Technique

[Grant Bowie]

Out of interest Grant your Ash would't happen to have used this technique would it?

https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index.php?title=Ash

No,

It was just grown over time with lots of benching then cut down to what you see today. Rough/corky bark is a marvellous way of hiding stuff.

Grant

[Elmar]

Haha I remember reading this... are there any species that this doesn't work with?


Cheers
EZ
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[Grant Bowie]

Update

IMG_7207.jpg

Grant

[Truth]

Can this technique be used for deciduous trees like your Acer Palmatums, Buergerianums and Liquidambars ect.?

[Grant Bowie]

Can this technique be used for deciduous trees like your Acer Palmatums, Buergerianums and Liquidambars ect.?

It will work on Corky Bark Elm but not Chinese elm as the roots don't fuse together on a Chinese elm.

I think it would look unusual/bad/hideous on a Japanese maple, slightly less worse on a Liquidamber, maybe OK on a Trident maple depending on your taste; in my opinion anyhow.

Give it a go if you want to and report back.

Grant

[Sean M]

Can this technique be used for deciduous trees like your Acer Palmatums, Buergerianums and Liquidambars ect.?

It will work on Corky Bark Elm but not Chinese elm as the roots don't fuse together on a Chinese elm.

I think it would look unusual/bad/hideous on a Japanese maple, slightly less worse on a Liquidamber, maybe OK on a Trident maple depending on your taste; in my opinion anyhow.

Give it a go if you want to and report back.

Grant

If you wanted to do fusion on elms, you would be better off doing multiple whips as a base as they will fuse. Check out http://fusionbonsai.com/

[Neli]

I am doing it currently on a chinese elm>he he he! Need to find the pictures but still in the cone.
I have done the same on figs and also similar methods with variations.

[Grant Bowie]

Twisting and fusing trunks together will work; you just won't get the flared root base to the same extent you would with a pine, fig or others suitable,

Good to see you experimenting.

Grant

[Truth]

Thought i'd give this a go. I picked up the seedling from Ray's around the middle of autumn. At the time it was in one of those little square punnet pot things. Around the middle of winter I slip potted it into this 15cm x 10cm pot. Substrate is mostly zeolite, with a bit of hand shredded pine bark and diatomite mixed it. Hoping to get some solid root growth this year before I slip pot it into a bigger 22cm nursery pot.

Do you guys reckon it'll need a whole year's worth of growth to fill the small pot it's in now with roots, or it'll have enough to slip into the bigger nursery pot by mid-summer or so?

Black pine seedling 1.jpg

Buds/candles are already (slowly) extending, and i'm ramping up the fertilising regimen. I'll keep you guys updated with the process.

[Neli]

I have one little one made like this. But it is a combination of roots and twisting the trunk.
The same method can be done in small pines b y twisting the trunk and using roots also

[Levuccio]

Hi Grant.

I find this technique very interesting. So how many years would you have to keep the cone on before removing?

And is this something that works every time, or is it one of those things that works 1 in 5?

Thanks

Alex

[Grant Bowie]

Hi Grant.

I find this technique very interesting. So how many years would you have to keep the cone on before removing?

And is this something that works every time, or is it one of those things that works 1 in 5?

Thanks

Alex

I did 10 of these originally and they all worked. It is up to you the degree you take it to. I only kept one and it is the one in the photo; I don't know of any of the 9 others taken to that degree with thickening branches and over say 10 years of growing on. I know of one that died after a workshop with someone else. Another couple still alive down here in Canberra.

You could expand/ enlarge the base by putting root wrapping further down each year or two. Once again it is up to you and limitless except for size of pot and sheer weight if you go too extreme.

Grant