Dan Robinson's Repotting Schedule

[mrcasey]

Recently, Walter Pall made a remark on here about Dan Robinson's repotting habits. I thought maybe Walter was
joking or exaggerating. I then read an interview with Dan Robinson where he claimed that bonsai should be repotted much
more rarely than most people recommend. Twenty five year intervals came up.

Does anybody know what kind of bonsai mix Dan Robinson uses?
Has anybody gotten an up close and personal look at his trees. Do they seem strong and healthy?
Does he have some crazy watering regimen he uses?

 

[bwaynef]

There's a book, Gnarly Branches (there's more to the title than that, but that's good enough for Google) of his work. His trees are also featured at a (n open-to-the?) public garden in the PNW.

 

[garywood]

This is one of those topics that falls into that grand old subjects of - it depends How developed? What kind of soil? How is the watering in a given environment and scheduling? So many questions for a simple answer

 

[Adair M]

It’s true. Dan never repots. Sections of his trees die off. Dan figures it just makes them more gnarly.

Not recommended.

 

[Wilson]

@grouper52 is a close friend of Dan's, and knows all about how they develop trees in their garden. I understand that the trees are treated like the yamadori we all love. They often grow in rock pockets, and other contained/restricted conditions. To think these trees grow for hundreds of years in these conditions, makes me think Dan knows what he is doing. Graham Potter has also mentioned trees going a good 15 years in a pot, as long as the tree is healthy leave it be. That being said, most of us will repot much more frequently then that.

 

[mattspinniken]

Dan's trees do have the look of wild yamadori, they look like old trees. No doubt his repotting technique has something to do with that. Im not sure I personally have the guts to wait 25 years on a good tree to repot though.

 

[MrWunderful]

Ill stick with when the tree gets “too” root bound.

Healthy trees are created when people start reading the tree for when it needs to be repotted, not worry about schedules and time frames.

 

[Forsoothe!]

The pots are really BIG!

 

[Mike Hennigan]

That’s pretty gnarly bro.

 

[TN_Jim]

Gnar gnar!!!

 

[greenleaves]

hey now sometimes they repot. you know, when the pot has entirely delaminated

https://imgur.com/a/4e8Lj

 

[Maloghurst]

Recently, Walter Pall made a remark on here about Dan Robinson's repotting habits. I thought maybe Walter was
joking or exaggerating. I then read an interview with Dan Robinson where he claimed that bonsai should be repotted much
more rarely than most people recommend. Twenty five year intervals came up.

Does anybody know what kind of bonsai mix Dan Robinson uses?
Has anybody gotten an up close and personal look at his trees. Do they seem strong and healthy?
Does he have some crazy watering regimen he uses?

I don’t want to speak too broadly about his techniques but I spent the day at Elandan Gardens last month with Dan and two long time friends of his. One being @grouper52.
Most of his trees are Yamadori some collected more then 50 years ago still going strong.
He doesn’t fertilize or do any pest treatment either for the most part. There may be exceptions but these are questions I asked while there.
Definitely saw some trees that had not been repotted in 20+ years. They just grow roots and push the tree up in the pot.
Honestly, his trees look good and healthy. His exhibition at the PNB has some truly amazing trees as well.
Could be mind over matter. Just Jedi style force shit.
Sorry pic isn’t good so don’t judge the foliage color. I don’t remember exactly the variety of juniper this is either.

 

[Cadillactaste]

I don't know if I would wait 25 years. But I try and focus on drainage with most of my trees...unless it's a satsuki. Then I will repot as recommend. For general overall health with their love of acidic substrate.

 

[sorce]

Is that a young @grouper52 ? Lol

And who's this Jay Leno/Thor Holvila guy?


Haha!

Sorce

 

[sorce]

I think the method can work if you believe in tomorrow.

You have to have faith in your ability to allow the tree new good growth, and that you can make beautiful of the change.

Way more difficult than static, safe, .

Sorce

 

[just.wing.it]

Depends on what you want to do, right....
I'm in the process of building a respectable nebari on my purple cow crape myrtle, so I am repotting every year to work on it.
If I'm not worrying about a nebari, as in the case of my juniper, I will leave it in the training pot as long as I can....or at least until its having noticeable drainage problems. Its in lava and pumice, so that won't breakdown, pot is large.....good to go for 25 years possibly.
We'll see.

 

[Smoke]

I had heard from a pretty reliable source, that Dan had lost a significant part of the collection in the last 15 years. I have no idea to what but maybe a reliable source cold confirm that. In fact I think I heard that many of the trees in Grouper's book no longer exist.

 

[grouper52]

hey now sometimes they repot. you know, when the pot has entirely delaminated

https://imgur.com/a/4e8Lj

Frank! It's Will! Nice to see you posting here! Best Bonsai site in existence, BTW!

 

[grouper52]

I had heard from a pretty reliable source, that Dan had lost a significant part of the collection in the last 15 years. I have no idea to what but maybe a reliable source cold confirm that. In fact I think I heard that many of the trees in Grouper's book no longer exist.

The only sizable number if losses with which I'm familiar is a number of Ponderosa Pines: He has collected these in fairly large number over the decades, and every few years (as this year) the climate just seems to take out a few, and parts of a few others, seemingly because of the climate and certain weather conditions that year in our area, and occasionally because of pitch borers.

No he doesn't repot often, and his death rate over the years is far fewer than with those who do, especially those who root prune. He uses a 1/3 small white pumice, 1/3 small red lava rock, 1/3 fine local fir bark mix. He waters religiously. He simply allows his trees to rise up in the pot over the years as roots accumulate underneath (see photo below from my book). He's grown increasingly fond of planting on rocks as opposed to pots.

Hope that helps.

 

[greenleaves]

Frank! It's Will! Nice to see you posting here! Best Bonsai site in existence, BTW!

ah, sorry for the confusion! Im not Frank, but it is his image set he publicly posted elsewhere few years back. I do go up to Dan's garden a couple times a year and I recently spoke with him and Frank just last month about an old boxwood of mine. Ill try to say hi next time im up there if youre about. Did you write the Gnarly Branches book? Do you know how much of the boggy field soil Dan keeps when going from collection to pot? I figured a lot of that was retained to sustain the root systems without repotting so often but could be mistaken