HMM never thought of this - colander / pond basket with a twist ---------

[Anthony]

Saw this over on AUSbonsai,

simply rest the colander / pond basket on the earth.

Roots grow out through the bottom and the sides retain the air pruning properties.
Well duh, boy are we simple down here.

Have a good laugh at our lack of imagination -

Stupidly
Anthony

 

[M. Frary]

Saw this over on AUSbonsai,

simply rest the colander / pond basket on the earth.

Roots grow out through the bottom and the sides retain the air pruning properties.
Well duh, boy are we simple down here.

Have a good laugh at our lack of imagination -

Stupidly
Anthony

The problem with that seems like after a while the tree will abandon the roots trying to grow out the sides and just want to use the ones growing into the ground.
No?
Maybe?

 

[Starfox]

Have seen this before, pretty sure it is recommended to lift and trim the roots every season or two as well.
I had a bunch of Eucalyptus in pots on some pavers but one was twice the size as the rest and it wasn't until I went to move the pots that the big one had a root find it's way to a crack and into the ground. That was the reason why it was doing so well.
The concept is sound I would say but I have to be careful as my soil is poor, the wrong tree will suffer more than it gains.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

The problem with that seems like after a while the tree will abandon the roots trying to grow out the sides and just want to use the ones growing into the ground.
No?
Maybe?

You need to move them every year or so. I don't keep any of my bonsai resting on the earth, but I do keep succulents in pond baskets on the earth in some locations. The contact with the earth provides a little moisture and protection when it is super hot. Since I water my succulents much less frequently, they seem to do better there. But you need to shift the pots at least once a year or they will throw deep roots.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

As a twist on a twist - I have seen (I think in an old Bonsai Today article) people using two colanders - a small one inside of a larger one. Every now and then they lift out the inner colander and scrape the roots off flush.

 

[rockm]

Not necessarily. The "escape method" which is what's being described here (and has been used by many here in the states for decades for Gawd's sake) can force a plant to abandon finer roots in favor of those growing out of the container. IF you're attentive, you don't let that happen. I've currently got an 11 tree Korean Hornbeam forest in an Anderson Flat happily growing roots out into my backyard. It's been there for only a year and I plan on leaving it another, possibly three. I will then pry it up, cut the roots growing out of the flat, and repot it, possibly repeating the process if the tops of the trees need more development. This quick process forces the trees to retain the roots in the container. The longer they are allowed to grow into the ground, the less and less reliant they become on the root system in the container...

It's a Quick, easy way to build in some bulk, however, if you want your tree to put on some heft, planting it in the ground without a container for more than five years is the way to go.