How many times before you give up ?

[rockm]

well it did not look good after working on it because the few white roots were on the ends of long craggy roots that needed to be cut. Eventually I got to an inner part where there was a fat root in a circle, near the one gallon container mark it looked like.
But I have photos and a few more trees with this I will start a new thread on terrible nebari so I don't have to see how I scream at LB so much : )

“well it did not look good after working on it because the few white roots were on the ends of long craggy roots that needed to be cut.”

This is basically the way it works. This can depend on species but elms maples and vigorous species can handle that kind of root reduction. Those long craggy root will produce new white feeder roots from the cut site. That is how you get trees into bonsai pots

 

[nuttiest]

Those long craggy root will produce new white feeder roots from the cut site. That is how you get trees into bonsai pots

I don't know how. I never had to cut off all root tips, there was always new root tips in the the top 1 inch even, so it wasn't like cutting all 'tips'. Where were they? all choked by big clutter.
I feel like this should be in pumice to have a chance, This whole week it needs to be under cover because of soaking rain, it is in peat and perlite because I only had the tiny size pumice.