AusBonsai

I have noticed this little trident getting higher and higher in the pot. Normally this is a sign that the tree has not been repotted for a few years but this has just happened in the last month or so.

Here is the reason - lots of new roots with nowhere to go. Definitely needs repotting this winter.

Looking healthy! When did you last repot it?

Looking healthy! When did you last repot it?

I'm pretty sure this one only went into the pot last spring These little ones really need to be root pruned and re potted every year or they start to suffer.

with the maple would that sort of clumped up roots cause leaves to go brown and fall off? im wondering if i need to repot mine as it seems to be having some problems

MOGGINATOR wrote:with the maple would that sort of clumped up roots cause leaves to go brown and fall off? im wondering if i need to repot mine as it seems to be having some problems

roots like these will make the watering very difficult. Very little soil or substrate to hold water so yes the tree will likely suffer and dry out.
The root mass also stops water penetrating as well.

Ken

I agree with Ken. When they get really root bound the soil is so full of roots there are no spaces left for water or air and I have noticed that it becomes harder and harder for the water to penetrate. Fortunately with this one the roots are mostly at the bottom and it is actually the root mass that is holding water so no problems yet.
If your bonsai seems to be dry you can soak the pot every few days so it gets properly wet. That will help.
I also water twice to help with water penetration. When you water a dry tree most of the water runs off. It will only penetrate a few cm into the potting mix at first. If you come back 5 or 10 minutes later and water again more water is able to seep into the damp mix around the outside of the root ball and will then soak further in and hopefully reach the centre of the root mass.

It is not normally recommended to repot maples in summer but I have done some with no problems and others have also reported successful summer repotting. It is up to you haw brave you are feeling.

yea i repotted my maple today after a lot of second guessing and coin flipping lol and low and behold under the surface of the soil was nothing but roots no room left for anything else so i have cut it back and repotted it in a bigger pot with more room to give it a chance hope all goes well

The roots on this little trident have just kept on growing. It is not tied into the pot so the roots just keep pushing the tree higher and higher. Look at those layers of roots Way up in there you can see the mesh I put over the holes when I potted this up.

I have just placed it back into the pot and left it to keep growing.

shibui wrote:I agree with Ken. When they get really root bound the soil is so full of roots there are no spaces left for water or air and I have noticed that it becomes harder and harder for the water to penetrate. Fortunately with this one the roots are mostly at the bottom and it is actually the root mass that is holding water so no problems yet.
If your bonsai seems to be dry you can soak the pot every few days so it gets properly wet. That will help.
I also water twice to help with water penetration. When you water a dry tree most of the water runs off. It will only penetrate a few cm into the potting mix at first. If you come back 5 or 10 minutes later and water again more water is able to seep into the damp mix around the outside of the root ball and will then soak further in and hopefully reach the centre of the root mass.

It is not normally recommended to repot maples in summer but I have done some with no problems and others have also reported successful summer repotting. It is up to you haw brave you are feeling.

Hmm...now reading this post makes me think about some of my bonsai in its current state where water escapes slowly in a nursery pot compared to the same soil mix used on other trees.

Went from upright to slanting on its own accord

Any idea why it has risen on one side not the other? Warmer side of the pot?

I had some time last weekend so decided it was time to get rid of some excess roots. Forgot to take a before photo but you can see the pile of roots I removed. Only time will tell if it stays put this year.

shibui wrote:Only time will tell if it stays put this year.

... and the clock is ticking - can it beat last year's growth

Generally when root pruning we are told to only take off one third of the root mass, looks like you've taken quite a bit more. Is this because tridents are quite hardy?

Jarad wrote:Generally when root pruning we are told to only take off one third of the root mass, looks like you've taken quite a bit more. Is this because tridents are quite hardy?

and then some!

If you pop over to Neils' website and read his blogs you'll see that he does this on a regular basis to younger trees in order to develop the nebarie and roots. Not really a tree I can grow easily in Hedland so I have no personal experience but, as with Ray M., he experiments and develops his stock AND his skill (and has been doing it for quite a number of years).

This little one seems to be a bit of an anomaly in that it just produces roots like "nobodies-business" hence its own post...

CoGRedeMptioN wrote:

Jarad wrote:Generally when root pruning we are told to only take off one third of the root mass, looks like you've taken quite a bit more. Is this because tridents are quite hardy?

and then some!

If you pop over to Neils' website and read his blogs you'll see that he does this on a regular basis to younger trees in order to develop the nebarie and roots. Not really a tree I can grow easily in Hedland so I have no personal experience but, as with Ray M., he experiments and develops his stock AND his skill (and has been doing it for quite a number of years).

This little one seems to be a bit of an anomaly in that it just produces roots like "nobodies-business" hence its own post...

Oh cool! Thanks Elmar! I will have to have a more thorough read of it then.