I am not sure if I messed up.

[Yamadori Hunter]

I got a plant that was in a black rooting pot.
I took it out and it was a massive block of root and rocks.



I cleaned it up using a chopstick and made sure to keep the roots wet, it was really difficult to do.
Once it was cleaned I pruned off the dead roots and any of the unwanted ones going straight down or too thick.



I don't have a bonsai pot to put it in at the moment, I also kind of want it to grow a little more healthy. So I planted it in a pot with soil hopefully next year or so I can replant it and start to use wire to bend the branches to my liking.



Did I mess up? Should I have just potted it right away into a bonsai pot? How long should I wait before training the branches or repotting?

Any advice is greatly appriciated, I'm very new but have watched countless hours of videos yet I'm still not sure where to begin.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Welcome to the site! Can you share a little bit more about where you live? Are you able to keep your trees outside? Also, what type of plant is that?

 

[Yamadori Hunter]

Thanks!

It's a greek myrtle, and I live in Austin, Texas. Right now it's dipping below freezing at night, so I keep them inside at night or under a grow light if it's too cold out.
Also, just to add a little more info. The roots were so dense it wasn't getting good watering. It was pretty dry in the middle as I removed soil.
I believe it's pretty old, maybe 20 years or so?

 

[Shibui]

Greek Myrtle should = Myrtus communis. If that's the case it should be evergreen so maybe this one is ain a bad way as it seems to have very few leaves.

I think you have done the right thing with the repot because leaving it badly root bound will only cause more problems then death. Also right to plant into a larger nursery pot to recover.
Now you need to learn to wait. Sometimes myrtles drop a lot of leaves after a drastic root prune. It may look like the end is nigh but generally they shoot again after a few weeks, sometimes a couple of months.
It may need a year, sometimes 2, to recover from this trauma - especially as it was not healthy to begin with. Only start with pruning and shaping when it is growing well and new roots seem to have grown in the fresh soil.
It may interest you to know that many of us do most training and shaping while the trees are growing in larger pots. Advanced growers only transfer a tree to a bonsai pot when it is almost fully formed.

Good job so far.

BTW, add a location to your personal profile at the side of your posts. Others can then give better advice based on your climate and location and saves you remembering to mention your location each time you post.

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[Maiden69]

Myrtles do lose all their leaves here in Central Texas... regular soil is not the best thing to use. But since you already used it leave it there and care for it till next year. Your main concern will be to make sure you don't over water it, since soil tends to stay wet longer. Temps here are supposed to be above freezing after next week, so as soon as that happens move it outside. Myrtles need full sun.

 

[Yamadori Hunter]

Thank you for all the help, I'll leave it be and check the soil with a gauge before watering to make sure it's not getting too much. I'll also be sure to put it in full son as soon as the weather gets better!

It wasn't in great condition and I don't have much hope for it, but I'll post an update if anything good comes up!

 

[Cypress187]

Did I mess up?

Shouldn't that tree be outside?