Colin,

I would suggest using your fingers to really spread out the roots. You
should also probably cut off any long circling roots in the bottom of the
pot - think about combing out hair and giving a haircut. You need to be a
bit careful removing all of the soil from the roots of pines since they
often react poorly - i.e. do not root wash without a fair bit of experience
and willingness to lose the tree. As you repot every couple of years and
comb out and trim the roots you will develop a very nice root pad.

Marty

-----Original Message-----
From: Internet Bonsai Club ] On Behalf Of
Colin Horn
Sent: Wednesday, February 04, 2004 8:03 PM
To:
Subject: [IBC] Japanese Black Pine repotting

I have recently acquired a nice looking Japanese Black Pine. It has a trunk
diameter of about 1 inch, maybe a little bit thicker. Its planted in a 2
gallon pot. I am hoping to repot it into a larger container so that the
trunk can possibly thicken up a bit. I was planning repotting it into a 5
gallon pot cut down about half its hight. Would anybody recommend anything
other than this? Any suggestions or comments would be awesome. Thanks a lot.
From, Colin Horn Bay Area, CA

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