Why do bonsai trees have to be dug up and replanted so often? Every three years, every other year, and some trees need to be replanted every single year.

It really depends on how quickly the type of tree grows, and how much sunlight, water, and nutrition it is absorbing, and how good the growing season was.

In this article I will be sharing the last of my series on my young bonsai trees I had re-potted in early November. I had to choose between the tree in my cover photo, and the one below because I was down to my last bonsai style pot available. Both of these trees are curly willows that are about the same age, and grow very quickly in wet soil. The branches and roots become very long and stringy, and either one would benefit from being placed into a new pot.

A new pot and soil will allow for more oxygen to enter the soil to kill off bad bacteria and bugs that tend to inhabit dark, wet, air-less spaces. There is some debate among hobbyists as to whether or not the moss is beneficial or not, because it absorbs water like a sponge, and shares it with the tree on hot days, but it also does not help the roots to divide as well as a rocky soil covering could accomplish. In winter, moss can prevent the soil from drying out, but it can also cause roots to rot if it is holding onto too much water.

In the end, I decided to choose the tree I felt matched the best design aesthetics for the pot, which was the tree I initially picked. Aesthetics, is just a fancy way of saying, "one way looks better to me than the other." There are design rules that tend to explain why certain things are more beautiful than others, but in the end, there is no reason to follow the rules if you do not like the results of what it will look like. Go with your gut.

Here is the tree I selected, on November 9, the day I transplanted the tree.

Historical Details:

ID: 0014
Nickname: Medusa
Type: Curly Willow
Age: 5 years
Grown: cutting
Last repotting: 2016? Now, on this date, Nov. 9, 2018
Wired: never

View my introductory post on this tree:

https://steemit.com/bonsai/@creativetruth/the-gorgon-saint

This post shows its growth during all seasons of the year, and the changes it has undergone. Young trees will change in design drastically year to year. Willows grow very quickly. I believe it makes it an ideal starter tree for hobbyists who are impatient and want to see quick results, as long as they live in a wet climate with cold winters. It also teaches beginners to not become too attached to old branches, because the they will die back and fall, forcing you to consider how you want to change the entire style of the tree.

Older bonsai masters hate trees that die back drastically, forcing them to change the design of the tree that may have stood that way for generations, but I think it is helpful for beginners to learn how to adapt their ideas to the changing shape of the tree.

The first step is to place the tree inside the new pot, to get an idea of how it will fit inside. Roughly half of the soil height will be removed from this tree.

Prepare the wires in the pot, and some screen to cover the holes. This prevents the soil from coming out the large holes, yet allows water to drain quickly. Start with wires longer than you need, then trim off the excess later on. This will make them easier to shape.

The big holes are for the wires that hold down the screen. The smaller holes are for wires that will be used to tightly hold the tree against the pot. This pot is excellent, because it provides wire holes from all four sides. I'll be able to use the wire from these four angles to really help the tree stand firmly upright. It's like pitching up a tent so it doesn't fall over.

Here is the soil I mixed up for this tree. Since this tree likes lots of moisture and it is a deciduous tree, I decided to use more organic matter (pine bark here, dries out and holds its shape better than potting soil). I even mixed in some older soil that I dried out from past bonsai projects, which is why there are some small dead roots visible here. This tree is native and adapts very well to poor quality soil, as long as I keep it wet. Still, the addition of lava rock, granite, akadama clay, and pumice stone will greatly improve the tree's ability to form more root divisions and smaller feeder roots.

Splat!

That's the sound the tree makes when it really wants to be set free from its potted prison. How long has it endured the waterboarding?

This tree's roots are already becoming problematic. They have coiled down under the water reservoir section of the flower pot, and many new feeder roots are spreading only at the bottom of the pot. Eventually those roots would have blocked out the drainage holes, which would also strangle the thicker roots.

With a hand rake, I sloughed off all of the loose soil. It just looks like a swampy muck hardly resembling potting soil anymore. The soil retained so much water, it literally rotted the soil. Good thing for the tree, because they are able to grow in swamps and marshes. Don't let the background knowledge about a tree's ideal environment fool you though, because all trees can benefit from being given better bonsai soil and growing conditions. No tree wants to grow inside of nasty, growth stifling soil unless that is its only option for survival.

These are the larger pieces of root that were removed. Since this tree was made from a cutting originally, most of the bottom of the cutting had fattened up to from side roots and a long coiling taproot. These thicker areas were easily removed with my root/branch cutters. This should allow the tree to sit flat in the lower pot now, so the highest roots won't be fully exposed.

As long as the tree has some nice lateral roots an inch or two under the soil surface, the tree will continue to be able to feed itself. The cut marks on the roots exposes some of the green cambium layers, which usually signals the tree that it needs to heal the area by growing more wood there. Tiny new roots will often form all around the edges near a new cut root end.

Some of the top roots are still visible, but I attempted to build the new soil line to the base of the tree, and just under the rim of the pot, right where the thickest roots begin to become visible. Those roots will continue to thicken, becoming beefy arms holding the tree up against the soil floor. You can see the wires were tightened around the roots, and cut off close to the surface. I'll be able to turn and twist the wires downward a bit to partly conceal them from view. By packing down the soil a bit more, and adding a bit more soil as a top dressing, this tree should be ready for winter and the new year.

As the tree rocks in the wind, it will eventually form new deep roots again to help hold the tree more strongly in the soil. Until that happens, the tree will be in a weakened state because all of the top roots are very fragile, and they do not function well when they are stretched and injured by the tree rocking around inside the soil. All trees go into a bit of shock after being replanted, even if all the roots are left in-tact, because the new soil will never hold the tree as securely as it was when the roots had spread out evenly into the densely structured soil that we removed. It will take time for the tree to overcome this transition and adjust. The roots and soil will bond with each other to form a better strength union, allowing for the tree to blossom again with vigor.

This is the final results.

What do you think of this twisty tree? You can see I have been trying to train Medusa's snake hair without wires, by simply looping them down and tying them off. The branches are very flexible, but they hold onto wire impressions very easily because the branches are mostly filled with water. The loops and twists add to the coiling nature of the tree, and I learned this method promotes branching and leaves on the lower sections of the branches too.

Thank you for viewing.

Have I inspired you to grow a tree of your own and give it a shot? You don't need an expensively styled tree to begin bonsai. Any old pot with a hole, a healthy tree or seed, and some well-draining soil is enough to get started. The rest can be learned later as needed. Nobody needs to become a master in a day. Only learn what your tree needs, and only take action when it needs assistance.

Let me know about your bonsai experience and share your comments with me.

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Photos in this post are all #originalworks by @creativetruth, unless stated otherwise.

Find me on discord and chat with other tree growers, bonsai enthusiasts, and gardeners. We have quite a few accredited experts filling out our ranks, and a helpful Spanish-speaking community.

#teambonsai

No memberships. Love trees. Make friends. Grow together.

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Bonsai!

Monday, December 17, 2018

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