Root-pruning and repotting a big Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinensis).

[Melospiza]

Hi folks, as the title says, yesterday I root-pruned this big Chinese privet. I dug out this big privet in late fall 2016 (friend wanted it gone asap). Potted in a 1 ft x 2 ft plastic tub with drain holes and let it grow unrestricted throughout 2017. The top died back some and I am left with 4 good branches, marked with yellow arrows in the album. The highest branch is the one corresponding to the topmost skinny yellow arrow. The plant had started pushing out new growth, so I thought now would be a good time to root prune. Leaves are looking sparse because we had the most severe winter I have experienced in Atlanta and it looks like this species is facultatively deciduous.
I know that this plant needs extensive cutting away of dead wood and carving, but that comes later. Focusing on getting more branches and a good root pad for now.
Feel free to critique and let me know if I am doing anything wrong or if I should be doing anything ASAP. I have not wired because I assume at some point I will cut back the branches hard. I imagine the front to be this, with the leader marked in yellow, two bottom branches (one may have to go), and a back branch that is not very visible.
Ideally I would like more branches but this species sends out sucker from its base and not many branches higher up.

 

[Melospiza]

Roots getting teased out. It has a very interesting base. Some roots did get very long in just a year. These were heavily cut back.

 

[Melospiza]

In retrospect, I should have sawed the big roots much closer to the base. Right now, I cannot fit it in anything smaller than the pot size you see in the first and last few pictures. I did not saw it this year either, which could be a mistake. You can see the reduced root ball with a bald patch where the tree's bottom sits. Cup for scale.

 

[Melospiza]

Repotted back in the same pot since the big root stumps would not fit in anything smaller. You can see that the base is wider than the first image suggested.

 

[Melospiza]

This big root has rootlets coming from the top which will likely die off now that it has been planted higher.

 

[Melospiza]

I would like this to be the front of the tree. And final shot shows the topmost branch and where I see the trunk chop should be. Pretty sure everything above that topmost branch is dead. Some branch trimming has been done in this picture, mostly branches shading out the topmost branch have been cut.

 

[R3x]

Those remaining branches are too long/straight/without taper. So something along the lines you draw I'd remove them where they emerge from the trunk. You'll get big scars which you can carve eventually but also powerful trunk.

 

[drew33998]

I collected one that size and over 5 or so years all the trunks except 1 died

 

[HouBonsai]

Any updates??

 

[JJ6465]

do you still have this tree?