Hi, I have a J.M. Sango Kaku that I bought from a local garden center and have started training for Bonsai. When I rinsed the roots to find the tap root I noticed the hard wood roots are not in the desired radial position. They don't look terrible, but they're not very attractive either since some of them are gnarled around each other and sit much higher than the others. I was wondering if it's possible to cut about a third to a half of these hard wood roots without causing damage to the tree, with the idea being to train the new roots that would hopefully sprout from the wounds.
Not to be a pain but would you happen to have a link to that thread? I just spent a half hour going through that forum and I couldn't find it.
I don't quite understand. I would think that one of goals of bonsai is to enhance and celebrate the natural character of a tree. Cutting the roots because they're not pretty doesn't seem to be consist with that. Are the tree roots a problem?
The problem is they grew in a way that just doesn't look natural, about half of the hard woody roots come straight out from the base of the trunk, then angle upward and curve over. I guess I could plant it in a way that makes it look natural, with a small rock or uneven soil, but it wasn't the root system I had pictured for a formal upright maple.
It's always been my understanding that root-pruning is an important and integral part of bonsai. It's the only way, I think, to maintain a tree in a tiny container for a long period of time. If you prune the roots, you'll also want to prune a corresponding proportion of the foliage -- which is also a standard practice in growing bonsai, in order to help the tree achieve an elegant, shapely form that simulates the effect of growing in the wild, exposed to wind and storms and other stresses.
Well the basic concept for dwarfing the tree is to trim the soft roots back by a half to two thirds, but I always read not to touch the main rootball. However, it doesn't say if that's for aesthetic reasons or safety reasons. I just don't know if I can cut those hard woody roots without causing permanent damage to the tree or taking a chance of inviting disease/fungus into the root system.
Take your time with it, cut off a root or 2 in spring re-pot, next year do the same, just give it time to recover from losing the big roots before losing them all...when you do this keep it in a shaded area for a few weeks then re-introduce it to its normal light again, the leaves will burn fast with the roots regenerating so you have to keep the sun off it for a little while...hope im not too late
No you're not too late, I'm growing the trunk right now but I was going to work on the roots at the same time. Thanks for the info, I'll try what you said.
glad to hear, if you have some more japanese maple seedlings and wish to build a nice radial root base you could approach graft some seedlings to the base
Yup, no problem pruning maple roots. Do it late winter, early spring, as the buds swell, but before the leaves open. To develop good roots (nabari), you have a number of options. I'd suggest the following: 1. Remove the tap root (in bonsai, you don't keep the tap root) 2. Trim about 1/3 off of the length of the roots 2. Get a small tile or other hard flat item 3. Replant the tree, splaying the roots over the tile in a radial manner 4. Replant the tree. 5. Wait a year or two When you dig up the tree, remove the tile, Trim the roots by 1/3 again, and place in a nice bonsai pot. You should have nice radiating roots. This is a very popular and common technique in the world of bonsai. You can also graft roots and do a few other things, which can also work, but the approach noted above has (in my experience) the highest success rate. HTH.
Thanks for the response camikins. That is actually exactly what I did, although I probably did it at the wrong time of the year. All I have is a balcony though, no yard, so I was forced to plant the tree over a dish in a wide shallow pot. I should be getting a house soon so when I do I'll replant into the yard, because I've read that it's better for growing the trunk and roots than a container.
