Repotting My Cotoneaster and Gardenia, Part 1, The Bonsai Zone, March 2022

I'm begin by repotting my Cotoneaster. A very difficult root base to deal with, one of my most difficult yet!
In part 2, I'll be repotting my Gardenia.
To see previous videos of my Cotoneaster, click on the playlist here....
• Cotoneaster Bonsai
#TheBonsaiZone

[@helen_sam8862]

Hello Nigel! I've been watching your videos for 4 years almost every day. They inspired me keep growing my plants and even try a bonsai. Thank you for everything you do, it's an amazing content! Hope you let me share my story here because I really want more and more people understand what's going on right now in my country. For whole my life I'd been living in Kharkiv Ukraine till 24th of February... War came to my home. I woke up around 5 am from bombs destroying my city, there was no chance to stay. I had to evacuate, my family separated. I left my home including my plants I guess for good... Don't know if my home still exists or there's only rubbish left from it... And today is the first day when I opened your video... feels like from previous life... Very painful. But life is going and I hope to have a new home, hug again my family and start a new plant collection once again when this terrible war will over. Hope your videos will remind me how to do this) And also I want to say thank you for all people of Canada for supporting Ukrainians this hard time! 🇨🇦🇺🇦 I believe that only together people around the world can stop this nightmare which destroy lives on millions of people!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

I hope this war ends tomorrow, thank you for sharing your experience, Stay well!

[@ITookYourBic]

Wish you and your family the best! Please take care out there ❤

[@Alex-ip1dn]

💙💛💙💛

[@growclipbonsaiforseniors1951]

Great surgery done on the roots, done by the master surgeon, Dr. Saunders. Patient: Cotoneaster should pull through just fine.

[@kevinrandell5189]

☕🍵📻💺👍👍👍🌲🌳🌴🌵

[@debfaulbonsaigurl]

Hi Nigel just missed the premiere. That was scary 😨 fingers crossed it lives. Thanks for sharing

[@Watashiwapitadesu]

This video is the bonsai enthusiast's equivalent of an exciting action movie with big explosions and a nerve wrecking car chase. We're all on the edge of our seat!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Funny, but sadly true!!! Lol!

[@LetsDoBonsai]

Hi there Nigel!!

[@MrThomascor]

Whenever I see Nigel work on a new tree, I'm reminded of this Dutch saying we have : zachte heelmeesters maken stinkende wonden ( translation) gentle healers make stinking wounds. Sometimes you have to be tough to make a better bonsai in the long run.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Thanks Thomas, a great saying!!

[@ck8313]

Really good work there Nigel

[@beanperson]

Your ratcheting pruners would've come in quite handy for those big root lumps! :-) love it nigel!

[@BlueJayBonsai]

It’s funny .. as much as I like nice roots, these horrible roots make a much better video! 🤣 Great job Nigel, you tamed those roots!

[@hyperionhelios190]

Wow! What a work out! Much tougher job than mine.

[@michaelkramer3468]

It's really tricky, but it's fun to watch you work... Greetings from Germany

[@lukasmihara]

This was indeed a messy root system, but now it looks like a good base for a nice looking one. I hope everything goes well!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

So far the tree is doing really well!!

[@lukasmihara]

@@TheBonsaiZone Nice to hear that! I'm looking forward to seeing it again soon :)

[@nancyatkinson4253]

Hi Nigel I have been watching your videos for about a year. Totally enjoying. I bought a nursery cotoneaster at a nursery on sale. I now it was wrong time of year but couldn’t wait. Had the same problem. Gave up threw it in compost. Three weeks later I saw it budding out. So I tried again. Hope it lives. Put it back by compost pile. Can’t wait to see what happens

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Cool, I hope it does well!!!

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

I often find I start out full of enthusiasm and then as the roots get more tangled and more disordered I start to despair! Deep down I know I will end up removing 90% of the mass and so have to resist the urge to take a saw to the rootball straight off :)

[@TheBonsaiZone]

It's always best to see the roots you have before the cutting begins!!!

[@KennetDeBondt]

It´s gonna be all right. Grts Kennet

[@marysoldeeley2218]

Wow those roots! Frazzles to Fantastic! Hope it lives. This one will be neat to see the progress!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Fingers crossed!

[@johnpugh5867]

Hi Nigel you would save edge on your small scissors if you used your greenwood root shears

[@alicer3423]

The roots were so bad on that tree it was trying to strangle itself. I think you saved it Nigel. Good job.

[@Derrick8WLee]

Lots of roots to the bare essentials. It looks quite nice now. Looking forward to seeing a miniature old apple tree. Do you think it will fruit this year?

[@mattbrennan647]

It’s off to a great start. I sure hope it makes it. I’d really love to watching this develop into the future. Thanks, keep growing

[@box7063]

คุณดูมีความสุข

[@BlueSkyBonsai]

Great root work Nigel! Also love the idea to style a cotoneaster as a miniature apple tree with the berries as the miniature apples!

[@Derrick8WLee]

I was watching at 1.5x and one of the roots you cut, shot away like bullet, you may almost need armoured glass for your green house. (12:17)

[@waterlover]

You should do a three month update of this tree to see if it lives after all that root pruning. Interested on how severe it could be cut back

[@TheBonsaiZone]

I'll keep everyone updated!!

[@waterlover]

@@TheBonsaiZone nice👌🏿 I like seeing progress in all your work since you upload every day. Nobody like you Nigel it’s the reason why I even watched all your old videos

[@stuartrose7628]

Cotoneaster is a great tree man tough as old boots and that wonderful herringbone growth pattern 🙂

[@nighstarmayfair]

I recently ✂️'d and repotted a Corokia Cotoneaster in a 2gal nursery pot that was as bad as this Cotoneaster (if not worse) and yeah.... Took me 6hrs because I didn't cut through the roots, just combed them out.... only to later chop most of them (leaving most the chunkiest in place to help get the plant through winter indoors). Worth it, though!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Yes, mine recovered very well from this severe root pruning, I hope yours does too!

[@nighstarmayfair]

@@TheBonsaiZone Omg, it feels like getting a reply from a celebrity... Totally unexpected and appreciated! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with the world! I love hearing your thoughts & seeing your process as you work and probably would have never attempted practicing bonsai myself had I not had access to hours & hours of videos seeing you at work. :) I look forward to the next update on your Cotoneaster!

[@Alepoudiitsa]

this is how most of my trees are, i got the all from nurserys the are bonsai nurserys here. this video help me more then i tho. thank you!

[@dabblingwithbonsai]

So many roots to prune, and again you made it look so easy - the decisions and the pruning part. Keeping my fingers crossed for this beauty to live!

[@Alex-ip1dn]

I just noticed you got your channel back! Much love, Nigel and a happy repotting season to you ❤️

[@hyperionhelios190]

knob cutters may have worked better and been safer for chewing away the base of the tree than secateurs.

[@DavesBonsai]

You had me at the edge of my treadmill, Nigel. Excellent work. I love it!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Lol Dave, thanks!!

[@seiyuokamihimura5082]

Oh. Also wish me luck in propagating the cuttings! Especially the apex cutting. That part has real instant mame potential if I can root it.

[@carynludwig6667]

I must say, for a guy who shoots 99+% of his tutorial videos looking like he just rolled out of bed without brushing his hair, you are amazingly fanatical that every single root on your bonsai specimen is perfectly in place!😜 That being said, the roots of your trees are a wonder to behold, if the plant survives…! Quite the caveat! And, of course, the majority of them do just fine. Something to be said about that, or the toughness of plants in general….!! 😳 However, I really like your videos, have learned a lot. Hope you don’t mind the ribbing!!😆 All in good fun!

[@everythingbonsai3758]

Awesome Nigel I love the idea of an old apple tree I might have to do that with mine !!

[@baldyeti]

Son of a gun, that was a blast!! Those were some amazing roots down there. So much fun gettin them under control. And locating a favorable root plain…just masterful. I’m impressed, darn right. I love that you kept the $16 sale tag 😂 Be proud, brother! Smokin deal

[@neilhamilton2621]

I love contoneaster

[@growclipbonsaiforseniors1951]

Dr. Saunders is in the house. Operating room 2.

[@lachainemanquante5397]

Hey Nigel and all...

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Hello!

[@paulschaefer5241]

All those tight knotted roots on the contoneaster come as no real surprise to me. A common problem with nursery grown plants is that in order to conserve space the tiny plants are grown at first in small pots. when it becomes to to uppot them into larger containers, nobody takes the time to straighten the roots even though the plant would benefit from it.

[@christophburger1352]

Nigel why you put them always in Bonsai pot at this stage? I always use the same nursery pot or bigger ones to get the best development in the first years, for a radial rootbase you can always place the tree on a big piece of styropor or a plastik plate, so you never get roots growing downwards. Good fertilizing also required, maybe you test it someday.

[@reinholdbeck7097]

I also don't understand this ... the growth is much, MUCH better in an ordinary plant pot than in a shallow bonsai pot.

[@neilhamilton2621]

They love there own roots

[@mmjnice97]

Tho Cranberry cotoneaster are very dense in nature as far as the wood very hard.. I bare rooted one and had a lot of die back... lost all branches but one... but boy is it impressive... the dead wood looks amazing on those babies... so I don't mind much.. I've just bought some older cranberry plants that were in the nursery Cemetery area.. but those are the best ones for bonsai cuz they have the most Character in my opinion

[@iPheek]

Nigel do you make the faces too like I do when cutting those thick roots? Haha 😆 I’m always making faces when I have to cut thick roots!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

I'm not sure?!!

[@roddfrancis5816]

Hi Nigel love the videos you always upload I've been watching every video you have uploaded for quite some time now and when ever I'm watching one and you do some root work with your root comb I always starting searching around for a place that I can purchase on from tonight I showed my misses this video and mentioned that I've been searching the internet for one and she said maybe I should leave you a comment asking if possible would you be able to let me no where you got it from and can the root comb still be purchased from somwhere ..sorry for long comment ... And I hope to here response from ya ...I'll be continuing watching those awesome videos that you regularly upload ..keep it up please ..much appreciated thanks Rodd Francis from NSW Australia....

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Hello Rodd, I got my root rake at a second hand store, it was part of an indoor gardening kit. I have never been able to find another like it.

[@chrisrose323]

Nigel. When Will you make copies of that root rake and sell to us? 😊

[@seiyuokamihimura5082]

I'm starting a peach imperial size bonsai. I can already see it's potential, just will take a few years to get there from where it is.

[@bartstellink307]

Stuff like this makes me nervous... I did the same this afternoon with a spruce. Was a similar mess.

[@V3NQM69]

Maybe prune that bonsai that is growing on your head, Nigel? 🤣😋

[@lilmlm3554]

I bought a loquat once and I took it out the old pot to transplant it and whoever planted it planted it above styrofoam so I had to spend 30 minutes extracting all of it out of the roots

[@Bearbok]

Nigel, I don't understand why you don't just cut the roots all the way back to very little first then do your process. We all know after watching all your videos that the giant root ball will end up at basically nothing by the end so why not just rough cut it first?

[@TheBonsaiZone]

I try and keep all the roots I can, if the tree had more good roots I'd keep more. It's a slow process to slowly get down to the good roots, I'm in no hurry.

[@Bearbok]

@@TheBonsaiZone thanks for the reply! Understood

[@rebeccahunter725]

My cotoneaster has had 2 repotting in 2.5 years, and is pushing out of the pot again. I will have to go harder next spring, I think. I will keep an eye on this on - it has the potential to race up the ranking of great trees! They love to grow roots, and ramification is easy, too.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Good to hear Rebecca, sounds like they can take a lot!!!

[@thenaturecreater8906]

Great work nigel! Hope it lives to see another day. My thoughts on the cotoneaster. I think heavy root work is best in the summer. It takes really good as a cutting. Last year i hade 100 % success with all my cuttings. What to you think? Like a ficus?

[@bjrockensock]

Did you take any cuttings? There seemed to be several potential cuttings there.

[@Wiratama13]

Hello Nigel

[@howard946]

Hi Nigel Did the Gardenia Survive? if so may we see? Thank you

[@johncontract7855]

Hi Nigel. This video was great! One question. I’m moving my Maple from a 1 quart nursery pot with dark organic soil to a nice big grow box for a few years. Should I sort it the roots now as you did or should I deal with them after next repotting in a few years?

[@TheBonsaiZone]

The sooner you begin on the roots the better, if the roots are all tangled they will just grow thicker and be harder to sort out. Root work is always risky, but I like to get the hard stuff out of the way when the tree is young and you haven't put a lot of work in it.

[@johncontract7855]

@@TheBonsaiZone makes sense. How far back do you take it if you are leaving a lot more top growth?

[@Korina42]

Just watched the whole cotoneaster playlist; did it survive? It looks like it's set to become an awesome little tree.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Yes, it's doing really well!!

[@Korina42]

@@TheBonsaiZone Do you have an update scheduled?

[@TheBonsaiZone]

@@Korina42 It will need pruning soon, maybe mid summer! I'll make a video!

[@Korina42]

@@TheBonsaiZone Brilliant, thanks!

[@sebastianrodriguez1228]

Awesome work Nigel, i wanted to ask or give a video idea, if there’s any tree that’s been hard to develop, because I just collected a pomegranate tree and it has an ugly straight large trunk, no taper at all and then the branches are horrible but it’s been let grow and just prune in the tips so I can see fine branches which gave me the idea to do a broom style, it’s the only thing could look good with that straight long trunk, but I have no idea how to go about that, should I prune all the branches to a minimum and then start developing new branches in a radial or circular pattern and then just clip the tips off forever until I got those fine branches again? Thx I love your vids

[@seiyuokamihimura5082]

I don't know if you only have a phone to record like I do, but any ideas on how I can actually get a proper phone tripod, or something? My husband is almost always at work, so typically I can only show before and afters.

[@christianmedina26]

Hey Nigel, it's been a good minute since I last saw one of your videos. I enjoyed this one. How are the plumerias you had doing? Do you still have them?

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Hello Christian, the Plumeria's died over the winter, I didn't have much luck with them!

[@christianmedina26]

@@TheBonsaiZone that's unfortunate

[@slamrock17]

👍

[@srh9893]

i always pronounced it "cotton easter"

[@kevinwilkes5969]

Nigel, did this cotoneaster survive? I did some root pruning on a cotoneaster and it died. Didn't think it was that drastic.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Yes, the Cotoneaster did well this year!! I was so happy!

[@LetsDoBonsai]

Foist

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Foist in the chat and Foist in the comment section, nice Scott!!

[@LetsDoBonsai]

@@TheBonsaiZone a solid return to the foist zone

[@brucedeacon28]

👍👌🍎

[@andersnrregren9087]

It is kinda wierd ppl never say dwarf cotoneaster but ppl never have the normal one but allways the dwarf. Edit i have the c.bullatus it is still called a dwarf but is a tree and get to a few meter in 5 years or so

[@rosshopkins2063]

Where is the gardenia I don't get it

[@TheBonsaiZone]

It's in part 2!

[@natanlieds4468]

If it dies, it dies

[@stepheneurosailor1623]

5th

[@brucedavidson5400]

Why not just cut it 2 inches above the dirt and call it good!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

That would work for me!!!

[@mattbrennan647]

Thoid

[@reinholdbeck7097]

Why are you wasting so much time to comb out the dirt from the root ball, at the same time destroying lots and lots of fine roots by ripping them off, scraping them with that (is that brass?) rake and letting them dry out, when you just could have rinsed the whole root ball with a sharp jet of water from the beginning on? This would not just take MUCH less time, but'd also leave you with a whole lot more surviving roots. Also it's much gentler to the tools later on when cutting the roots, as there is no sand or stones left which could blunt the blades of the scissors. This whole video is so dissatisfying to watch, the sounds of roots ripping apart and being scratched, seeing very little progress in a long period of time, also that you fumble around with all of those roots at the bottom of the tree, which you then finally ended up cutting off anyway .... if you had done this one cut at the very bottom of the tree right at the beginning of your work, you would have had easier access to all of the remaining roots and saved yourself dozens of (then unnecessary) cuts .... all of that work you did in more than half an hour could have been done in less than 5 minutes. Also the final result has very little roots left, I mean, yeah, most probably it will survive, but at what cost? You won't have much growth in the upcoming season as the tree is very busy substituting the lacking roots. In my opinion, what you've done to this tree will set you back at least one if not more years of developement in the long term, compared to an optimal work. Sorry for being so direct.

[@mnelson10000]

I think better yet, start out by pulling it out of the pot and use a bread knife to cut down the root ball to near the final size. Then rinse it out and finally comb it. This would be the least traumatic, I think.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

It is part of the process, all the crossing roots thicken up and eventually create a tangled mess. The radial roots are important to develop , this gives you flare at the base of the trunk and helps to create a mature look to the tree. It's winter here so the hose isn't hooked up, it would freeze. I didn't let the roots dry out and I washed them several times. You have to clean the roots in order to see what roots are there before you begin the root selection, the worst thing you could do is to begin cutting away roots before you know where the base of the tree is. This work cannot be done in 5 minutes. It takes time to reveal and select the best roots. This tree will have an outstanding root base in the future and the set back in growth is well worth it in the years ahead. Bonsai is not about doing the work in the least amount of time, it's about getting the best out of the tree.

[@mnelson10000]

@@TheBonsaiZone Hi Nigel- what about the strategy I spoke of? Cut the root ball with a knife close to final size, rinse, then finally comb. It seems you approach it knowing the final root mass will only have maybe a 3" diameter, so why inflict all of that trauma to the tree combing and combing and combing...? I'm not talking about saving time, I'm talking about increasing the odds of survival. It's just a thought, I don't mean any disrespect... obviously you know what you're doing! :)

[@TheBonsaiZone]

@@mnelson10000 Cutting the bottom portion of the roots is fine, if you know where the surface roots will emerge from the trunk. On a first re potting like this, you need to find the eventual surface root level on the trunk before any cutting is done. I have seen people saw a root base in half and then have all the roots fall off the tree because they came from down low on the buried trunk. Cutting in a small circle can also be dangerous on a first repotting because you may not have any fine roots close to the trunk. You may only be left with large surface roots. In this case it may be better to keep a larger diameter of roots around the trunk and reduce the roots slowly over the years. I have found it always better to see the roots you have first and then begin cutting.