Roots? What roots?

[Clicio]

This is a thread to show off your successful roots from last season.

I will start with a little Buxus Harlandii after 1 year growing in a plastic pot, in my usual bonsai soil mix.

 

[August]

Whats your mix @Clicio? If I may pry?

 

[Clicio]

Whats your mix @Clicio? If I may pry?

Basically crushed low fired bricks, matured pine bark, diatomaceous earth, carbonized rice shells, and some Perlite.

 

[Colorado]

Here’s a big trident from last spring



I don’t know how long the previous owner had it in that big deep container but it seemed like a long time…that one was a lot of work! I put it in a much more shallow box.

 

[Clicio]

Here’s a big trident from last spring

View attachment 501242

I don’t know how long the previous owner had it in that big deep container but it seemed like a long time…that one was a lot of work! I put it in a much more shallow box.

Ouch!
I am sure it was a lot of work untangling those roots.
Sometimes I am just lazy, so I use a saw or a sickle to cut horizontally the root mass in half, and untangle only the upper part before trimming the long ones.

 

[Colorado]

Ouch!
I am sure it was a lot of work untangling those roots.
Sometimes I am just lazy, so I use a saw or a sickle to cut horizontally the root mass in half, and untangle only the upper part before trimming the long ones.

That’s what I did - sawed off the bottom half and then went from there! There was more than enough to work with.

 

[trigo]

This juniper was REALLY rootbound, took 50 minutes for the water to drain through the nursery pot. Nearly 6 hours of work to untangle this mess.

Heavy root reduction, now i will let it heal by my kitchen window, where it gets morning sun and from 11:00 AM it gets shade.

 

[Srt8madness]

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This juniper was REALLY rootbound, took 50 minutes for the water to drain through the nursery pot. Nearly 6 hours of work to untangle this mess.

Heavy root reduction, now i will let it heal by my kitchen window, where it gets morning sun and from 11:00 AM it gets shade.

Thata crazy. I could see myself spending maybe an hour on a root ball. 6!? Props to ya

 

[trigo]

Thata crazy. I could see myself spending maybe an hour on a root ball. 6!? Props to ya

When I bought it, i was told that this tree was on this pot for at least 10 years… there were roots that circled the pot, gone from the bottom to the top and back to the center, twice…
I spent 3 hours with a dam chopstick till I finally lost my patience, sawed the bottom half, and the sides. After this it was still a solid pie of mud and roots. So I used high pressure water to untangle the rest together with a root hook. I never thought it would take this long…

 

[nuttiest]

Basically crushed low fired bricks, matured pine bark, diatomaceous earth, carbonized rice shells, and some Perlite.

soil? what soil?

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

A recent one. Where drain screen?

 

[pandacular]

View attachment 501268
View attachment 501269
View attachment 501270
View attachment 501272


This juniper was REALLY rootbound, took 50 minutes for the water to drain through the nursery pot. Nearly 6 hours of work to untangle this mess.

Heavy root reduction, now i will let it heal by my kitchen window, where it gets morning sun and from 11:00 AM it gets shade.

Having your morning sun recovery spot outside of your kitchen window seems ideal. People talk a lot about aftercare, but sometimes you can only provide timely aftercare if it's somewhere you're gonna see it without actively checking!

 

[Shibui]

Here's a trident maple I repotted last week.

I noticed an old pot hole screen showing through the upper surface????

That's not the last mesh I put in so probably from 5 or maybe even 8 years ago. Not that it has not migrated up through the soil. It is that high because layers of roots have formed under the mesh year after year lifting the entire tree up in the pot.

Here's the last mesh underneath.

A dense 1cm layer of new roots has pushed the entire root ball up in the pot. That's probably 2 year, maybe 3?

Matted roots are hard to rake out and many will just break. If I do rake them out I'm only going to cut most off so it is much easier to start with a cut right round the edge of the root ball.

Then slice off the matted layer underneath.
That makes it much easier to rake out the remaining roots and see what needs to be trimmed.
Tidy up around the perimeter

Cut roots growing down harder.

This is an older tree so most of what's left under there is solid wood - the underneath of the trunk.

Then back into the pot but a bit lower down. Will still need to do it all again in another 2 or 3 years.

 

[Clicio]

Talking about roots, we are here in Brazil - like @Shibui in Australia - just in the middle of the repoting season, and coincidentally a close friend of mine, Henrique Grandi, has sent me today t0⁰hose pictures below.
The bonsai is an old Piracantha, and what at the beginning was supposed to be a good sign - mychorrizea - in fact was...



A heavy infestation of root aphids!
They were all moving around the rootball.
A real horror movie.



Have you ever seen that?

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

Have you ever seen that?

No. And I hope I never do.

 

[trigo]

Talking about roots, we are here in Brazil - like @Shibui in Australia - just in the middle of the repoting season, and coincidentally a close friend of mine, Henrique Grandi, has sent me today t0⁰hose pictures below.
The bonsai is an old Piracantha, and what at the beginning was supposed to be a good sign - mychorrizea - in fact was...

View attachment 501432

A heavy infestation of root aphids!
They were all moving around the rootball.
A real horror movie.
View attachment 501431


Have you ever seen that?

Tell him to drench it on Malathion.

 

[Clicio]

Tell him to drench it on Malathion.

Malathion is pretty strong.
Thanks, I will let him know about your suggestion, @trigo

 

[Shibui]

Some growers down here also have those root aphids. Not surprising, heavy infestations can severely affect the tree. Fortunately I have not had the pleasure - yet.

 

[jason biggs]

 

[pandacular]

baobab?