AusBonsai

I have a few tress that are not going the way I had really planned

Is it ever a wrong time to go from a bonsai pot back into a larger pot to thicken the tree??

You are completely right Laethe. A larger volume of medium allows for quicker growth of immature trees. You can always pot down by trimming the roots and top growth in similar percentages when the girth of the trunk is nearing your target. The quickest growth of all is obtained by planting out in the open ground where there is no restriction to the root run at all.

If you are going to disturb the roots too much yes.
However if you are going to slip pot, ie just take it from one small pot put in to a much larger pot and add soil. As they do when you see them, doing it on garden shows No. I hope this is of help. Pup

To increase trunk girth you really should let a skinny tree grow on in a large nursery pot or even better in the ground. It would also be good to grow a sacrifice branch. By letting a branch grow uninhibited and uncut for a year or 2 will help you to create a fatter and older looking trunk. It's just like in nature, the taller a tree grows, the thicker the trunk must be to hold it up.

You can still keep the rest of your tree in shape but choose a branch that you can later remove (without causing a massive scar on the front) and let it GO!

This 'sacrificial branch' will thicken the area of trunk below it. So if you only want to thicken the base of your trunk, select a branch down low. If you want to thicken the whole trunk, use a branch at the apex (top).

Don't forget to take pictures before and after any work so you can share it with us here at AusBonsai.

Regards,
Steven

It has been advised that if you plant a tree in the ground or in a larger pot to increase growth, that a saucer, marine ply board or similar, be positioned under the trunk so the main roots are trained to grow out, not straight down. Therefore you encourage a good nebari development while increasing the girth of the tree and you maintain a control over the roots closest to the trunk that you want to enhance the future bonsai.

Um does laethe know what do do once its in the ground?

feed it laethe feed it

aaron_tas wrote:feed it laethe feed it

I hear Eggs and bacon go down well.

your best bet is what Pup said. Slip pot it with out root disturbance. I would recommend a grow box, made out of scrap timber, with plenty of drainage holes covered in a bit of fine mesh. If your good with wood, do a quick google search for vance wood's planter boxes and build one like that. Dont make it too big, it can cause rotting issues. Give it about 2 to 3 weeks to settle then start a weekly fertilizer regime. If you are using a good draining mix there should be little issue with the large amount of firt your using.

you can put it in the ground, but dont forget, its not a dig, drop and forget thing. You still need to lift it every two years, to root prune and keep the nebari in check. You then need 3 years after final lifting before you start work on it and put it in a smaller pot.

yea cheers bud.

Asus101 wrote:You still need to lift it every two years, to root prune and keep the nebari in check. You then need 3 years after final lifting before you start work on it and put it in a smaller pot.

what is it

how can you give this info if you don't know what it is



laethe,
slip pot and feed with the right type of fert for the tree, this is my advice. get the tree quite healthy, tell us what type of tree it is, how old, maybe you could even post some pics if you're up for it

aaron_tas wrote:

Asus101 wrote:You still need to lift it every two years, to root prune and keep the nebari in check. You then need 3 years after final lifting before you start work on it and put it in a smaller pot.

what is it

how can you give this info if you don't know what it is

I hope your joking....

oh and for the best fert, i would stick to one high in nitrogen for now.

You then need 3 years after final lifting before you start work on it and put it in a smaller pot.

??? Without specific knowledge of the species involved I would regard that advice as rather over-cautious. Perhaps for some of the exotic conifers but it sounds a bit too cautious if we're talking about a fig, for instance.

Even a fig, your going to want two seasons before playing with it dramatically. You need it to adjust and survive the collection process, then you need it to start to regain vigor. You can and should only work on healthy tree's.

You simply cant dig and within 3 years have it in a bonsai pot.

Asus101 wrote:Even a fig, your going to want two seasons before playing with it dramatically. You need it to adjust and survive the collection process, then you need it to start to regain vigor. You can and should only work on healthy tree's.

You simply cant dig and within 3 years have it in a bonsai pot.

"Even a fig"...........they are the easiest and the quickest! 3 years is not only possible but should be expected.....not with all.....but with most. I have trees here that i have had in a growing box for years, i could have them in a pot now but have simply opted to wait until i think they are looking good enough to put into a nice pot, not another growing pot/box. The pictures below are just a few of mine that are under 3 years.
Peter

Nice starters, Peter.