In a message dated 2/17/2004 5:45:48 AM Eastern Standard Time,
writes:

I was wondering. I know that trees when grown in pots must
have there roots
trimmed occasionally. I was wondering though why when trees
are grown in the
ground people dig them up every few years to trim the roots.
I would have
thought that letting the roots grow would mean that the trees
trunk
thickened up a lot quicker meaning it would have to spend
less time in the
ground. I must be missing something obviously so I would
appreciate it if
someone could explain this to me. Thanks.


Everything in life and art seems to be a compromise. Yes,
restrained root
growth will thicken trunks, BUT if you don't cause roots to
remain near the
trunk, it becomes difficult or impossible to dig up and pot
some species when
the time comes.


Billy meant, of course, to write "UNrestrained root growth." ;-)
(We all do it!)

But he's right if you just let them grow, you will quickly have a
large tree. But, you also will have a major surgical operation
when it comes time to lift the tree and put it into some kind of
a pot. It may not survive -- or if it does, it may be some years
before you can do any major work on it. There really, really
aren't any shortcuts to good bonsai!

So, you dig (for example) a circle 12 to 18 inches around the
tree and every three to five years or so (depending on the
species) you dig it up at that circumference, cutting all the
roots that have grown past that line. You also have put a floor
tile underneath the tree at about 6-8 inches, so you develop a
flat rootball and the tree doesn't develop a taproot, if it is a
species that does that.

Of course there's another benefit to digging up a tree: When you
replant, you will always turn the tree 1/4 to 1/2 turn so it gets
light evenly on all sides and you don't have a lopsided tree (of
course if you are DESIGNING a lopsided tree . . .).

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Only where
people have learned to appreciate and cherish the landscape and
its living cover will they treat it with the care and respect it
should have - Paul Bigelow Sears.

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