Japanese maple exposed roots

[Haidr]

Hi fellas, I recently repotted a Japanese maple from nursery pot to a bonsai pot. The tree has a few exposed roots that start a bit above the normal roots. These seem to be a bit higher than the nebari that sits close to the soil. Can I cut these or they can be left and turn into something interesting down the track? Any ideas will be appreciated.

 

[Nera]

Roots that are too high up above the root base need to be removed. Are you happy with the thickness of the trunks? If not, there's no point putting it into a bonsai pot - you'll need to put it into a large growing container or in the ground to get the trunk a lot thicker.

 

[Nera]

Recommend watching this video

 

[Haidr]

Roots that are too high up above the root base need to be removed. Are you happy with the thickness of the trunks? If not, there's no point putting it into a bonsai pot - you'll need to put it into a large growing container or in the ground to get the trunk a lot thicker.

Thanks for your reply. I don’t mind the thickness as I had the tree in a nursery pot for a couple of years and couldn’t wait to transfer it to a bonsai pot. My understanding it’s going to grow thicker trunk but significantly slower in the bonsai pot? Also removing these exposed roots won’t harm the tree?

 

[Nera]

Thanks for your reply. I don’t mind the thickness as I had the tree in a nursery pot for a couple of years and couldn’t wait to transfer it to a bonsai pot. My understanding it’s going to grow thicker trunk but significantly slower in the bonsai pot? Also removing these exposed roots won’t harm the tree?

Yes to both.