Questions!

[JimmySmart]

Hi All,

First time posting here so thanks in advance for any and all advice. I've had a couple of trees over the years but looking to get more involved with additional trees over the coming years.

1. I picked up a Cypress pre-bonsai from the Adelaide (South Australia) Bonsai Show on the weekend and have had a go at shaping it and planting it on a slab of wood I got from my father. I drilled some drainage holes and fixed the tree to the slab with some wire through the roots. I'm looking for advice on the tree, its styling and any suggestions for training into the future. I tend to think a bit more movement through the trunk would have been better but a potentially too thick to work with now?

2. This was my first go at a raft style tree. I got the tree from my local nursery and have just planted it in a large container for it to grow out in. After I had cut down the larger tree from which the raft had come from I read that if you remove 50% of the tree (branches/trunk etc) then you should also remove 50% of the roots system. Is this true? If so I think I could be in trouble. I would guess that I removed circa 70% of the tree to create the raft but retained 80% of the root ball. Should I be worried?

 

[WIlliam_Butler_Yeets]

In general terms, conifers don't like to have as much work done on them all at once compared to deciduous trees. There's a phrase that gets tossed around "one insult per year" meaning to only do one major operation to a tree and then wait until it recovers to do more, like heavy pruning and repotting. I am a bit concerned about the cypress due to the combination of removing quite a lot of foliage and also repotting at the same time. How much root does the cypress have left? It looks like that little mound of dirt would be barely covering it. Also for conifers, it's good to err on the side of leaving roots rather than taking too much away.

There are exceptions to all of these "rules", some deciduous trees hate having anything done to their roots ever, but you would want to do some research into any species you get.

 

[NeedlesAndLeaves]

Hey Jimmy,

I did more or less the same thing when I started this hobby. Wanting to make instant bonsai. They died simply because of to many insults at a time.

It takes time and recovery before moving to the next step.
I will share some pictures of a cypress, juniper and spruce which were one of my first attempts when I started bonsai.

Unfortunately they died by my own hands as I learned later. Pruning, bending, rootwork.
Felt happy to do some bonsai things, but the trees probably felt raped in all stomata.

Not saying you are on the same level as I was back then of course. The work on the Cypres made me remind of it is all.

I hope yours will do better!

 

[Tieball]

There appears to be a lot of exposed surface roots near the trunk of the slab planted tree….i would keep the roots covered. I think that watering will be quite a challenge to prevent soil and substrate erosion. The tree's roots will dry quickly. I don’t know your plans for sun and general weather exposure….if the slab is exposed to rainfall I can imagine a lot of the soil and substrate just washing away leaving bare exposed roots when the sun appears. However, you may have considered all of this and have plans I don’t know about.

 

[JimmySmart]

In general terms, conifers don't like to have as much work done on them all at once compared to deciduous trees. There's a phrase that gets tossed around "one insult per year" meaning to only do one major operation to a tree and then wait until it recovers to do more, like heavy pruning and repotting. I am a bit concerned about the cypress due to the combination of removing quite a lot of foliage and also repotting at the same time. How much root does the cypress have left? It looks like that little mound of dirt would be barely covering it. Also for conifers, it's good to err on the side of leaving roots rather than taking too much away.

There are exceptions to all of these "rules", some deciduous trees hate having anything done to their roots ever, but you would want to do some research into any species you get.

Thanks so much for the response @WIlliam_Butler_Yeets. That is very handy to know. Re your questions:
1. I only took very minimal roots during the report. Maybe 10 - 15%.
2. Going by the other replies too, definitely more soil needed so I've nearly doubled the amount of soil to (hopefully) ensure ample soil for growth.
I'll cross my fingers (and keep a close eye on them) and hopefully they get through their assault without it turning into murder!

 

[JimmySmart]

Hey Jimmy,

I did more or less the same thing when I started this hobby. Wanting to make instant bonsai. They died simply because of to many insults at a time.

It takes time and recovery before moving to the next step.
I will share some pictures of a cypress, juniper and spruce which were one of my first attempts when I started bonsai.

Unfortunately they died by my own hands as I learned later. Pruning, bending, rootwork.
Felt happy to do some bonsai things, but the trees probably felt raped in all stomata.

Not saying you are on the same level as I was back then of course. The work on the Cypres made me remind of it is all.

I hope yours will do better!

Thanks for the response @NeedlesAndLeaves ! There is every chance I have a case of beginners eagerness which may come back to haunt me lol. I'll keep you posted and let you know how they fair!

 

[JimmySmart]

There appears to be a lot of exposed surface roots near the trunk of the slab planted tree….i would keep the roots covered. I think that watering will be quite a challenge to prevent soil and substrate erosion. The tree's roots will dry quickly. I don’t know your plans for sun and general weather exposure….if the slab is exposed to rainfall I can imagine a lot of the soil and substrate just washing away leaving bare exposed roots when the sun appears. However, you may have considered all of this and have plans I don’t know about.

Thanks for the response @Tieball I've nearly doubled the amount of soil and ensured those roots are now covered up, thank you for the advice. At the moment I have the tree under under a gazebo where it gets nice morning sun and sheltered from the wind and any heavy rain. I'm just hand watering at the moment. But I definitely hadn't thought of that so thank you for pointing it out! I think I'll also set up an automatic watering system where the trees will end up spending most of their time.

 

[Tieball]

Thanks for the response @Tieball I've nearly doubled the amount of soil and ensured those roots are now covered up, thank you for the advice. At the moment I have the tree under under a gazebo where it gets nice morning sun and sheltered from the wind and any heavy rain. I'm just hand watering at the moment. But I definitely hadn't thought of that so thank you for pointing it out! I think I'll also set up an automatic watering system where the trees will end up spending most of their time.

Some slab plantings have a muck ring around the soil substrate area that does help prevent initial erosion. The muck layer blends in well with the soil substrate and can often have moss growth on it for a natural appearance. You might research bonsai slab planting using muck. The muck is usually a homemade product from natural ingredients readily available around your area. By yourself or if you have kids…..making muck can be a fun project.

 

[JimmySmart]

Wo

Some slab plantings have a muck ring around the soil substrate area that does help prevent initial erosion. The muck layer blends in well with the soil substrate and can often have moss growth on it for a natural appearance. You might research bonsai slab planting using muck. The muck is usually a homemade product from natural ingredients readily available around your area. By yourself or if you have kids…..making muck can be a fun project.

Wonderful suggestion thanks @Tieball. I’ll check it out and no doubt my 2 and 5 year olds will love it!