Don't be deflated at all. Just keep persevering. The hobby is awesome.Mickeyjaytee wrote: ↑January 20th, 2023, 10:35 pm Well I’m a tad deflated I won’t lie. I have so many plants I’ve just potted up thinking I was doing the right thing
Rory, should I still try bare root and sort out the roots for these? Many are quite large bushes now, most about average sized nursery stock but, have had this spring and summer to grow…
Question. When I bare root the plants, do I try fan them out in a horizontal direction around the plant?
Some of the tube stock was grossly root bound too… how can I work with these? Perhaps chop the bottom off and go from there?
When I started, I killed a tonne of stock from trial and error. Fortunately I am incredibly optimistic and just kept trying different methods.
If they've been growing for many seasons since you repotted them then yes, I would separate all the roots and fan them out now. Bareroot them gently yes. If you can let me know what species you have, I can give more specific advice on rootwork. For example, some roots you need to be careful with, because if you bend them too much, they'll snap or the protective layer will strip off and potentially kill the remainder of the root to the tip. The same can be done with having your hose on too strong a jet and stripping the outer layer of the root. This is a common root death that can happen with Leptospermum roots. However roots like Casuarina and Banksia can be incredibly tough and can tolerate a stronger water spray.
Also, don't just put the new mix in the pot, then plonk the roots down on that and fill in the top with more mix. You need to carefully place all the mix gently into the roots so they aren't squashed all down on each other. For this it really helps to pour in dry River Sand. It helps to fill in the air pockets and 'lock in' the roots and give it a binding strength that helps to keep the roots well fanned out and not simply squashed. Once you pour in each layer of river sand with your potting mix, wet it. This locks in the roots and stops them curling back to the position they were in before you spread them out. Think of it like an hour glass, and you see the sand gently falling and filling in the glass below perfectly. If you simply plonk a handful of mix onto roots, it doesn't usually fill all the areas in and the roots can curl back into their previous positions.
Most experts after they're repotted use chopsticks to push down and allow the mix to fall into place into the large pockets of air. But if you use dry river sand with each layer as you go adding the potting mix gently and then wetting each time before you add the next layer, it greatly reduces the need for this afterwards and means less damage to the roots by stabbing at them. (that advice is getting a bit pedantic though I know). Its kind of like gradual cement layers. Adding water to the river sand of each layer, binds the mix instantly as you go.
When I separate the roots, I like to have them going at a gradual angle into the pot, not horizontal. But each to their own.
However if you want to eventually have the bonsai in a very shallow pot (and the roots growing out along the ground like you see with figs) then yes you will need them closer to horizontal, but straight out from the base usually looks a bit odd. I like the roots to come out at a gradual angle going out and low, about 20 to 30 degrees or so, depending on the species.
When you say the tube stock was grossly root bound, don't just cut off the bottom, because you might find that the main trunk goes right down and then the roots grow back up. And just cutting off the bottom 1/4 might be cutting the main trunk line and losing nearly all the roots. I sort of rip chunks of root off with my hands and use my fingers as a guide to tell me whether there are major roots there or not. I kind of also use my fingers like you're scratching hard at the rootball. It shreds your fingers, but if you love Bonsai, you don't care.
