"dalecochoy" wrote:
From: "Bart Thomas"
Subject: [IBC] Repotting- Newbie question
1. The famous Hardware cloth, also sold as screening, get it in the 1/8"
mesh. Probably easier to get in the quantity you want at a small
hardware
store.

This is "most excellent" and all I use on my bonsai in either 1/8" or 1/4"
mesh. Comes in rolls either 2ft or 3ft wide, as long as you want. Lasts a
long time in pot.

The galvanized steel is said to inhibit root growth through the mesh.

Not sure about that Bart. Sounds like a point for 30 reply-discussion, but
in 24 years I've had NO problems with it in any way.

2. Craft shops sell a plastic mesh for use in needlework. A sheet of
this
should cost less than a dollar. (This is the one I use.)

Yep, cheap, but tears and moves and puckers in or out. And the holes are
actually pretty small. This is a COMMON product to see in mass-potted
imported trees however. Pretty quick to use.

3. There is a fiberglass mesh tape used in repairing drywall. A roll
will
last you for years.

Ditto on the above , but WORSE. However. This is an EXCELLENT product to
take on collecting trips where you'll be digging and popping stuff into
nursery containers in the field. You can quickly cut off pieces and stick
them over nursery can holes.

Thanks to you and to Bart Thomas for your replies on this. I managed
to get some plastic mesh, and have repotted my trees. I discovered
that the containers had *no* mesh of any kind covering the
drainage holes when I repotted, and some were very rootbound
indeed ( I only bought them last year ). I have couple more
questions related to the repotting: First, I have quite a lot of bonsai
compost
( Levingtons) left over- will this keep for another year or so , or does it
need to be
thrown out? Second, I cut off quite a lot of the root when I repotted,
can this damage the tree? Third, it was not possible to get all of
the old compost away from the roots- does this matter? Finally,
is there anything which I should/should not be doing, to
get the trees to 'settle' after repotting?

Thanks

Jim