Bonsai - Working the Roots

In this video I get to work. I show how to deal with a root bound tree, transfer a tree from a nursery pot and separate a Brazilian Rain tree air layer

[@Tieball]

I am amzed that all those roots, once combed out, actually fit in the first pt. Incredible.

[@cldavis33]

Just an observer and Bonsai admirer. I know we hear rules and things...I absolutely love that blue rectangular pot, and I see the tree magnificently. That is gorgeous.

[@Tieball]

Thanks for putting out all these videos! I appreciate every one of them. The fit in the new pot is amazing and the new image terrific. Much better than the blue pot.

[@DeadZone318]

I've been studying the art/science of bonsai for 2 years. I love your video's, very informative!

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

That's great that you got a tree to work with. There is so much to learn in the beginning. I was looking through all the ones I've done but there isn't just one that gets you all the info you need. Just take your time and start going through them and grab all the info you can

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

That tree is around 25 years or so. It is really hard to be certain though. It is really one of my favorites from my collection these days. Very easy to care for and always changing

[@IrregularPineapples]

It's strangely satisfying watching you work on the bonsai trees and roots :V

[@Iggynawcio]

Great videos! Thanks for your advice.

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

Good luck David. I'm glad youre trying bonsai. Its really a lot of fun and very rewarding

[@RaidenTheAlmighty]

@OrlandoBonsaiTV That's awesome. I had one in my yard that I dug up yesterday. It's a pretty massive stump,at least 6 or 7 inches across at the base. The surface roots are really thick too, and radiate out from the tree really well. The weird thing is, I think it's actually two or three threes that have fused together. It has two big trunks and two sapling sized trunks, and I have no idea how that will work out lol.

[@davidmichael3137]

great video and I Learned a lot. I didn't know you could grow two trees from one...I am learning about bonsai now and I am very new at this. Thanks for the post.

[@ZLuis2009]

I would of not known how to straighten out the roots, Nice video.

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

I'm really glad to hear that! Good luck!!

[@DirtyFastingLife]

Sounds great.. !!

[@Liam2173]

Awesome, thanks for the information.

[@DirtyFastingLife]

Oooo no don't be sorry I do understand... U do great work.. love the rainforest plant I have one and your videos are great.. breaks and water are permitted ;)

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

I'm excited for you! There is a lot to learn in this hobby buts its all fun. You've got me there to help if you need

[@engelwyre]

That ficus is a beast!

[@tarunchaudhary4505]

good work. keep posting good things!!

[@snoekhoek]

Man, I thought you were gonna snip of a finger or something! Raking roots is a top sport. :D

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

@Tieball The benefits of the bonsai mix is that it drains very well, promotes roots splitting, and holds water. Secondly once your trunk is as big as you want it that is the perfect time to get it into a bonsai pot. You can then develop branches

[@xzyeee]

Thanks for your advice Orlando, will try

[@zoeyhuang8456]

wow! :) I like Bonsai

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

You're right, it could be a real challenge especially if the tree is root bound. The tree I didn in teh video had been done about 4 years earlier so the hard part was done. However what you've done now will greatly help your tree develop much better in the future

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

@no2religions Thanks for the comment. Hopefully my videos are a step up from the other ones youve mentioned

[@raulbaron7]

wow. very nice

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

@no2religions Actually the fired clay will break down over time and block the drain holes. The nice thing about the lava is it will never break down no matter how much rain you get

[@sharkfin154]

yay for growth season!

[@MHarenArt]

I had NO idea you could be that aggressive with re-potting a bonsai!!!!. I've got a bald cypress in a 10' deep terracotta pot that I want to repot into a 3-4' deep pot. I'll do more homework before I start surgery! Thanks for all the great information!!

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

Only work on Bald Cypress during their dormant periods in the winter. They would not survive repotting or root pruning while in their growing season.

[@MHarenArt]

@@OrlandoBonsaiTV Thank you, yes! I did know that! I can't wait o get started though! I've watched a couple more videos since I last commented here, and again. learned soooo much. I had no idea you could just wack off those thicker roots, but of course your explanation made perfect sense! Thanks again. I'm gong to subscribe to your channel. Have a great day! Cheers!

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

It is really hard to get the roots reduced on larger trees but when you actually look you will see that they are really a lot of wood and mass and not much feeder roots. So you can get in with cutters and grinders to clear out the mass and really reduce it down. I'm trying to find material to do a demo on really soon

[@BonsaiBinhDinh]

Mot tac pham that la tuyet voi

[@yewsoonpow9429]

Hi your wrightia looks great, and very strong. i'm not sure if it is due to different climate there (i'm from Malaysia), but my practice is to defoliate the wrightia before repotting to reduce the stress to the tree. You could make a great Yamadori for the wrightia. great work.

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

+YewSoon Pow Thank you for the suggestion to defoliate. I will do that from now on

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

somewhere around 4 years. It was a 'mother tree' for a long time. It was just grown and air layers and cuttings were constantly taken to keep it small.

[@CarvingBonsai]

parabéns...

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

@no2religions Actually I've gotten away from the fired clay mixes such as kitty little and turface. I used the small sized lava rock and have had great success with it

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

@GabrieleColonna Pretty much any tropical tree will do well for you. Brazillian rain rees airlayer very quickly. Just start in the early spring as the tree's leaves start to fill in.

[@juliebrady24]

Great video! If the long roots you trimmed off are not for absorbing nutrients and watering, what are they for? Are they just anchors?

[@SahanTheMighty]

Love the video! Thank you. :) LOL @ 14:48 !!! Hahaha.

[@DirtyFastingLife]

Slow .. take your time.. breathe.. and enjoy the process. You do great work. Just relax through the process. You seem to always be in a rush??

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

I don't own one, but the Flowida convention is coming up this month so it gives me a great chance to get some new material. I see what I can find that would help you out

[@lizfisher8218]

I wished you show how you wired the roots down. Looks awesome. Love your videos.

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

check out my other video on wiring in at kzbin.info/www/bejne/j2aqf6unr51_p6s

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

That was an extremely hot day, and I had a lot to do. If I don't work that fast the video would have been so much longer and I wanted to keep it to a rather short video. Also it's really the pace I keep when I do my trees.

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

@RaidenTheAlmighty Hackberry make great bonsai. Really great trunks and good to work with

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

Thanks, the water and breaks would be a good idea. I'll work on taking it down a notch :)

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

@cura0006 Geat stroke started setting. I wasn't sure I was going to make it through that video. It was over 100 degrees and no shade

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

I appreciate the comment. I'm still trying to find time to do more videos. I've got a list of topics, just very busy right now

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

@xzyeee If you are getting a lot of rain your tree may be devloping a fungus which would cause teh leaves to yellow and even have irregular shapes. I would suggest aplying a systemic fungicide such as Halt which you can find at Home Depot or Lowes.

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

To develop nebary you need to let the roots grow longer so you can either keep it in the ground or an over potted nursery pot for a long time. Once you put it into a bonsai pot in bonsai soil youre not really going to gain nebari

[@CXENTE713]

@OrlandoBonsaiTV thanks.. i cant wait too get started

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

If you are just trying to get a larger trunk then let them grow in what they are now. If you are happy with the trunk size and are ready ti start developing branches and structure then repot

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

Keep them in the mix you currently have until early spring before the tree leafs out. At that point you can repot it into whatever you choose

[@dabid1337]

how does one go about developing good nebari? is it just a process of slowly removing soil from the base of the trunk until you reach the roots?

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

It did fit but actually visually the pot was too small in weight so I actually replanted into a larger pot just for composition purposes

[@CXENTE713]

I just ordered, a Juniper bonsai tree..I think its 6" tall.. I have no idea, what I'm getting into.... but seems very exciting :-)

[@kamz123456789]

Great informative video. It really is a work of art caring for a Bonsai tree. Is it possible to email you a picture of my tree? We purchased it about 2 years ago, and he hasn't been happy since we acquired him. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

Glad to hear that! Keep watching

[@kenaniahmwh]

Paul, what do you use for your nursery mix? do you mix something up yourself or do you buy it somewhere?

[@spencer5082]

Id love to know what you ended up doing with that Ficus? That was extremely interesting

[@bornnraisedhawkeye]

I have some silver maple trees that I would like to start to bonsai. I pulled them out of the bottom of one of the downspouts where they had sprouted, this spring. I'm wondering if I should keep them in potting soil or if I should switch to a bonsai mix. And if I'm to keep them in the potting soil, how much longer should I keep them in the potting soil?

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

I did a technique called an Air Layer. You'll see in my earlier videos I show how I got the roots to grow in that area.

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

@HouseholdStudios If you look along the roots of a plant the roots come from the plant very big and get much finer near the ends. However it take a long time for that taper to occur. So but reducing the length of the roots the finer roots will occur where you cut so that you get the feeder roots closer to the tree. I hop ethat make sense

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

@jaybirrd84 This was done mid summer. It was very hot and these tropical trees love that time of year. They are very active so that is why I can root prune like I did.

[@ethangill5213]

What if I have a tree with a thick and very deep root and small roots as wide as the canapé

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

@SahanTheMighty Thats so funny!!! I had to go back and watch it again. What can I say, bonsai I. Florida can be brutal. I was freaking dying that day! Thanks for watching :)

[@zoemclelland3502]

just got a three year old ligustrum bonsai indoor tree, root straigtening was easier looking than i thought.

[@lancejlucas]

What time of the year is it when you recorded this?

[@Idiocracynotjustamovie]

doesn't the wire rust? what is the wire for again?

[@manishsingh-zr3oc]

nice

[@Tieball]

1. What is it about the bonsai soil mix that makes it that much better? 2. Once the trunk is right is it okay to go to a bonsai pot for branch development for most trees? Specifically American Elm and Hornbeam.

[@AQucsaiJr]

What do you use for nursery soil?

[@coolyoureyes]

Great videos! I am just a beginner. I live in Hawaii and have a question about making a bonsai from a Kukui tree. I suspect the question can apply in general to other trees. The kukui tree produces a walnut-like nut. Is there a way to prevent the tree from producing fruit?

[@duhoky100]

Hi Paul, What is the best time (season) to CUT the roots?and what kind of the soild did you used for your Bonsai TREES ?!! ThAnK YoU So MUCH.

[@MrWthisthis100]

i bought a microcarpa 2 months ago. i didnt wanna repot it because its middle of the spring. Do i still repot?

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

YOu're right I do tend to mumble a bit at times and of course I talk fast too. As tbreen09ify pointed out I was saying feeder roots. They ar ethe very fine roots and are the ones that actually take up the nutrients. If there is anything else you had a question about let me know, and I'll work on talking a little clearer in the new videos :)

[@andrushek11]

How long to those potting wires stay in? Tree looks amazing by the way!

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

@dkoefoed New roots will be white in color an will have a blunt end. Feed roots are extremely fine and will grow from the root main lines. They are hairlike roots.

[@randyschmidt5081]

Ive been watching your viI

[@huessos13]

Did you add any soil. Since you cut off most of the roots, how is the tree now?

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

I did wind up using a bigger pot. Once the foliage filled in the small pot was visually too small. The tree is doing great and was shown this year at the Epcot flower and garden festival There is a video that shows the trees including this one Epcot Bonsai Display - Flower and Garden Festival 2014

[@Idiocracynotjustamovie]

do you have anything on bonsai'ing jades?

[@franksb4u]

You place a little bit of soil in the pot before you put the tree in right?

[@no2religions]

Hey, nice videos. When I first started bonsai, the only videos were World of Bonsai and Expert Village :/

[@cespedesandrew4212]

so at what time should i do this if i have an elm

[@EMTBAFV]

Hi Paul was watching through some videos for a wee refresh n caught sight of your yew podocarpus in the back ground, is that when you were creating a new apex?

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

Scottish Bonsai Thats the one! Ive had that tree for a pretty long time. Certainly about time I put a top on it

[@EMTBAFV]

Hi Paul I'm in a happy mood iv just got in from college and ups turned up with my new larch it's beautiful I thought from pics it was shohin but lol its not its huge just perfect are you on my Facebook page? Scottishbonsaidougie

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

I am now!!

[@khammanyvong1]

Can you reduce the roots on all trees? Some of my bonsais have such large root balls that I cannot fit it in less than 3 inch pots. It will kill the tree if I cut alot of the root ball off to fit in a shallow pot?

[@largesatsuma]

How do you tell the difference between roots that are unnecessary and ones that are crucial? How do you make sure not to kill the tree when trimming the roots?

[@DirtyFastingLife]

Good bc.. I love ur videos and we need you around.. to make them no strokes!! :) looking fwd to the next video and a follow up on the Rainforest tree ... Also question have you and will you do a video with a Bonsai Ginseng Ficus??

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

I need to do a video on root selection. However I treat the bottom of the tree the same as teh top. Try to taper the roots down like you would when you design a tree. You want as many branches off the main root as possible. If it is a very long root with very few branches/splits than that would be the kind of root I would reduce or eleimiate. You want the finer roots

[@Hadenize]

Ok so im brand new to bonsai keeping and i know very little. I bought a chinese elm from my local supermarket. Its about 10 inches tall in a pot 4 inches deep with a water tray underneath. I noticed that a few small roots a poking out through the drainage hole. Is this normal or should i be worried? Any help is much appreciated as im only a begginer.

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

Its normal. You can trim those roots so the don't clog your drain holes. You've got a great tree to learn on Good luck

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

@pandabear102409 A thin layer to get the base up off the pot

[@sp4zzj4zz]

I should also clarify that I'm not complaining about just some random words or whatever, it's usually key things that I'm unfamiliar with in the first place because I'm so new to this, which makes it really difficult to try and google them. For instance, whatever the type of root you are talking about so much in the first half of the video - feeta, feta, fetal?

[@no2religions]

@OrlandoBonsaiTV why the change? Does is work better? I think we have opposite needs. Here we have 8 month of rain and no sun.

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

@EnassiClothing I appreciate the advise

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

@MrWthisthis100 Absolutely, now is the time to repot!

[@randyschmidt5081]

Sorry. I meant videos, and have been reading a lot I was introduced to bonsai as a kid but just now getting started. I have to trees jap. Red cedars and got them from a general merchandise store. Should I repot them so their wired in with better soil or wait a year or two.

[@joeyhernandez14]

Man I wish you where still making videos

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

You can but they don't heal very well. They tend to leave pretty bad scars on larger brancges or trunck removal

[@OrlandoBonsaiTV]

I think I paid $200 for that tree when I bought it. Its worth a lot more now

[@xzyeee]

I am trying my hand at Bonsai and I am totally loving it. However, my candidates look a bit sick and I don't know what to do. They are sending out new shoots but I think they may be getting a bit too much water because we have been getting a lot of rain lately. There is one in particular that I don't want to die because I've grown so attcahed to it. What should I do?

[@ArcherKasai]

at the 11 minute mark, you're talking about the rule of thirds, it's where your eyes like to travel in basic compositions

[@no2religions]

@OrlandoBonsaiTV I wouldn't have mentioned it otherwise. WOB is pretty interesting, but lacks practical information. I haven't gone through all your movies, but do you ever use cat litter as soil. That's all I use.