Shohin Siberean Elm
- Thread starter jkennedy2316
- Start date
jkennedy2316
Sapling
The branches were left to grow out to thicken. I lightly pruned some in late winter and left a few more on to thicken more this growing season.
jkennedy2316
Sapling
I should have taken more pictures of the repotting process so I could get some actual advice. I anticipate some criticsms and I am open to them. I was probably too aggressive.
I knew I wanted to repot it into a smaller pot to bring the proportions down to a shohin style. The old pot was 10 inches wide and I wanted something closer to 6-7. I spent a long time trying to find the right aesthetic for the pot and went with an unglazed masculine rectangle. I waited until I saw buds starting to form and burst and spent yesterday repotting.
After taking out all the soil - it was apparent why the tree was originally in such a wide pot. The tree had a ~7.5 inch nebari plate. At this point it was decisiontime. I tried to follow Ryan Neils advice about intermediate repotting (i.e. don't do it) and just went for it. I considered Siberan Elm's overall resilience and the time of year, and decided to aggressively prune the nebari plate and root system to get it into a shohin sized pot.
I used a trunk splitter to remove about 1 inch on each side of the nebari plate. Overall probably reduced roots by 40-50 percent, which I know is very significant.
I originally wanted to change the planting angle, shifting slightly right for a more upright look. I decided that I had already removed too many roots to achieve this during this repot and will work on reducing roots to achieve this angle change during later repots.
I put it in about 92% 1:1:1 monto clay, lava rock, pumice with remaining being fine bark pines and some horticultural charcoal.
I will keep it out of direct sun for the next few weeks. Planning to bring it inside for a few of the remaining early Spring nights that drop below 50.
I knew I wanted to repot it into a smaller pot to bring the proportions down to a shohin style. The old pot was 10 inches wide and I wanted something closer to 6-7. I spent a long time trying to find the right aesthetic for the pot and went with an unglazed masculine rectangle. I waited until I saw buds starting to form and burst and spent yesterday repotting.
After taking out all the soil - it was apparent why the tree was originally in such a wide pot. The tree had a ~7.5 inch nebari plate. At this point it was decisiontime. I tried to follow Ryan Neils advice about intermediate repotting (i.e. don't do it) and just went for it. I considered Siberan Elm's overall resilience and the time of year, and decided to aggressively prune the nebari plate and root system to get it into a shohin sized pot.
I used a trunk splitter to remove about 1 inch on each side of the nebari plate. Overall probably reduced roots by 40-50 percent, which I know is very significant.
I originally wanted to change the planting angle, shifting slightly right for a more upright look. I decided that I had already removed too many roots to achieve this during this repot and will work on reducing roots to achieve this angle change during later repots.
I put it in about 92% 1:1:1 monto clay, lava rock, pumice with remaining being fine bark pines and some horticultural charcoal.
I will keep it out of direct sun for the next few weeks. Planning to bring it inside for a few of the remaining early Spring nights that drop below 50.
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jkennedy2316
Sapling
I'm nervous as hell I went too far. I am dissapointed because in trying to follow one piece of Ryan Neil's advice (don't intermediate repot for development), I feel like I ignored another, more important bit of his advice - when repotting a tree, there should never be a question about it surviving.
I often find myself being way too cautious in bonsai, as well as getting stuck in decision paralysis. For once I decided to just go for it, and we'll see if I end up paying the price.
Aftercare steps will be shade for a few weeks, consistent moisture but not waterlogging, keeping it out of early spring cold snaps. No fertilizer for a while. Are there other things I should be doing to improve recovery odds?
I often find myself being way too cautious in bonsai, as well as getting stuck in decision paralysis. For once I decided to just go for it, and we'll see if I end up paying the price.
Aftercare steps will be shade for a few weeks, consistent moisture but not waterlogging, keeping it out of early spring cold snaps. No fertilizer for a while. Are there other things I should be doing to improve recovery odds?
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
It will be fine. It’s a Siberian elm. Mostly fool proof
BrianBay9
Masterpiece
Next time you repot, consider changing the planting angle. I think tilting the trunk 25 - 30 degrees to the right would improve it. Of course, given your description of the roots it might not be possible right away.
BrianBay9
Masterpiece
And now after reading your post more carefully, I see I added nothing you weren't already considering....sorry about that.
