A couple of theory questions...

[Patience is an Art]

I would really appreciate your thoughts on the following questions. I’ve tried to search the forums for answers but still not sure...
1) If you have done a trunk chop and the trunk is approx the end size you want, is it better in a training pot or in the ground to develop taper?
2) For the trees growing in the ground, do you ever expose the roots, or do you always plant deeply and wait for root work when they are potted?

Thanks!

 

[Shibui]

A lot will depend on the species and the size of the chop. In the ground the tree will grow faster and the chop will heal faster but there's a risk the new leader could end up as thick as the base and you end up back at square one.
I tend to move these trees into progressively smaller containers to allow growth enough to start healing the scars but also limiting growth so that the new leaders don't get too carried away. You can also start to develop some lower branches. Branches in the ground is always a challenge as they tend to get too thick too fast.

Not sure what you have in mind with exposing roots in the ground. There is a strong feeling that roots thicken better when covered up but I'm not convinced by that. Just like the branches above roots thicken based on how much growth they make and how much sap flows past any particular spot. Planting depth is also species dependent. Some species like tridents and shimpaku love to grow roots right under the surface. If the tree is planted deep there will be a whole new root system starting by the time you dig. Any strong roots there will have ruined the trunk taper so I always plant the trees with surface roots just below soil level to prevent possible problems.

 

[one_bonsai]

In the ground the tree will grow faster and the chop will heal faster but there's a risk the new leader could end up as thick as the base and you end up back at square one.

I grew the first section of a Chinese Elm trunk in the ground. I did a trunk chop then the next section of trunk caught up to the first section and is now as thick as the first section.

 

[leatherback]

I am a fan of leaving the nebari covered as long as possible. So in pots I even plant deep while building branches. I believe there is more "backbudding" on the roots that way, helping develop the nebari. In fact.. I raise the substrate level on new plants if they are planted shallow.

 

[sorce]

Best use your art skills and see what does what!

IMO, there is a rhyme and reason to what trees do. Naturally. However.
Our actions blur those lines, remove all rhyme and reason. Nothing ever acts as you may expect again.

The lines stay clearer if you work WITH the tree, as opposed to FOR yourself.

Then you find the answer which only you will find and you can act accordingly.

There is a strong feeling that roots thicken better when covered up but I'm not convinced by that.

Penny for your thoughts?

Besides a newly grafted or emerged root to "fix" an already established Nebari, I don't see a time I'd want to see roots grow rapidly.

Seems the easiest thing to jump out of proportion, and also sustainable for hundreds of years if kept very slow.

Also, for me, what negates any good from the newly grafted scenario, root don't grow alone....it always roots! In other words, not just that one thickens up. So I am a huge proponent of getting it right early and "freezing" them with a colander.

I am a huge fan of your work, so I wonder why you are even concerned still with the quoted.

I believe a root that can ramify into smaller and feeder roots doesn't need to thicken. This is what I witness in baskets. So it makes sense to me that a well buried root, that has soil in which to ramify, won't get thick.

...

I guess of that, or this discussion can prove anything, it will be that anything is possible, due to the whole ryhme and reason thing.

Sorce

 

[Shibui]

My point is that roots do not only thicken when covered. A root is very much like a branch or trunk. They thicken in proportion to the flow of nutrients so a root will thicken whether it is above ground or below ground.
If there is just 1 or 2 roots feeding a trunk then all flow goes through those. They will be thick. It does not matter whether those roots are well ramified out at the ends. Everything passes through the main part and it will thicken in proportion to the flow. If there are many roots feeding the trunk the flow will be divided and each root will be a fraction of the size depending how many there are.
Only a few species grow new roots from exposed roots so it makes sense to cover roots if you want them to ramify. I don't see many roots that voluntarily grow new small roots along the length. Just like branches they produce most ramification near the ends. Just like branches, pruning will produce most ramification. Just like branches cutting the tips will not give the desired result. Need to cut well back and let the branch/root grow out to desired length. Just like branches regular pruning will produce the most ramified roots.

 

[Patience is an Art]

Thanks for the feedback!
Do you have any thoughts about the following statement from Brent Walston?

“Some of the best growth yet has come from the 'escape method' where I put five gallon cans on the ground and allow the tree roots to escape through the drainage holes and into the earth. I love this method because it is so efficient. You must continue to water through the can to keep the above ground roots alive. When you get the trunk you want, you simply sever the escaped roots at the holes and cut back the top of the tree at the same time or sometime before. I am getting massive 'Seiju' elms by this method. They are putting on more than an inch of caliper per year.”

 

[Patience is an Art]

IMO, there is a rhyme and reason to what trees do. Naturally. However.
Our actions blur those lines, remove all rhyme and reason. Nothing ever acts as you may expect again.

Sorce, true of all living things, and a good reminder...

 

[leatherback]

Do you have any thoughts about the following statement from Brent Walston?

Yeah, well-known method. Main risk is that just one or two roots escape and run growing out of proportion.