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#1
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[IBC] Washing roots
Hi!
You often read about the need for washing the roots of your , mostly deciduous, bonsai, to see its structure or to be able to exchange all the old soil. Therefore I wonder if it is applicable to conifers as well? For example, a Japanese white pine with a terrible nebari but you could probably correct it if you could remove all the old soil. Or is this a big “No No”. Just curious as the repotting season is only a few months away. Cincerely Håkan Bengtsson Sweden ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Lisa Kanis++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
#2
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[IBC] Washing roots
Pines are fussy about removing soil from their roots. If you remove all of
the soil, you'll be removing the mychoriza as well. These trees depend upon it to grow. So if you decide to do it, save some of the old soil to mix with the new. In any case, wait until spring to do it. Marty ----- Original Message ----- From: "Håkan Bengtsson" To: Sent: Saturday, October 18, 2003 5:34 PM Subject: [IBC] Washing roots Hi! You often read about the need for washing the roots of your , mostly deciduous, bonsai, to see its structure or to be able to exchange all the old soil. Therefore I wonder if it is applicable to conifers as well? For example, a Japanese white pine with a terrible nebari but you could probably correct it if you could remove all the old soil. Or is this a big "No No". Just curious as the repotting season is only a few months away. Cincerely Håkan Bengtsson Sweden ************************************************** ************************** **** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Lisa Kanis++++ ************************************************** ************************** **** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Lisa Kanis++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
#3
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[IBC] Washing roots
At 09:07 PM 10/18/03 -0400, Martin Haber wrote:
Pines are fussy about removing soil from their roots. If you remove all of the soil, you'll be removing the mychoriza as well. These trees depend upon it to grow. So if you decide to do it, save some of the old soil to mix with the new. In any case, wait until spring to do it. Folks I will respectfully disagree about the mycorrhizae part. I have never paid much attention to it, never intentionally inoculated my pines, and I can't seem to keep it out of them. It finds its way to them no matter the source, whether it be imported bareroot seedlings, my own seedlings or just repotted plants. As for washing the roots, I am learning more all the time. I will limit this discussion to Pinus thunbergii, since I did extensive repotting of them this summer (usually a no no). Since my endless nursery move begin, many of my plants have fallen into neglect and have needed emergency repotting. The plants involved were mostly one gallon black pines that were very good sized, heathy if a bit hungry and with no root problems. The biggest problem was soil collapse since it had been too long since they were repotted. I had too objectives: One was to get them into new soil so they wouldn't have to spend the winter in soggy soil. The other was to head them back somewhat to promote lower budbreak. Since it was midsummer, it was excellent timing for the second objective and a terrible time for the first. I analyzed the situation (as I constantly encourage others to do) from the perspective of plant growth principles. Heading them back in summer was no problem since this is an acceptable period for rapid budbreak under high fertilizer conditions. Disturbing the roots during the heat of summer is very dangerous since it impairs water uptake. So the repotting would have to involve as little root disturbance as possible, but the removal of fines was necessary. Heading the plants back at the same time would actually be beneficial since it would reduce the transpiration load. I decided to wash the old soil from the roots rather than try to remove it mechanically. This seemed the best solution since washing would be much gentler and incur less physical damage to the roots. The object was to remove as much fine material as possible and repot into the same container with fresh soil. No root pruning or adjustment was involved; it was deemed too risky. I learned a couple of things from this. A well established plant will retain most of its root ball shape after the washing. Most of the fine material is on TOP not the bottom of the pot. Removing the larger particles was not easy or even necessary or desireable. Removing the finer material from the rootball was exceedingly difficult. Finer material did NOT migrate to the bottom of the rootball, contrary to popular belief. This is what I did. I used a jet spray of water to remove the soil. The upper collapsed soil was easy to remove, there were few roots in this area. As I proceeded down the rootball, the roots became denser, and the soil was harder to wash. I couldn't afford to spend half an hour washing out all the soil, nor did it seem necessary. I develop a standard to limit the amount of disturbance. As best I could, I tried not to wash so hard that the root ball lost its integrity, although for a few plants this was impossible. I washed the top, sides and bottom of the root ball to remove muddy material. I continued to use a lot of water on the top of the rootball to try to flush out the fines. This didn't work so well. It was equally proficient to do the reverse, to flush through the bottom and let the fines drain through the top. Once the water started coming out relatively clear with visible specks of organic material as opposed to muddy looking dark water, I would reverse or alter the flushing position, until it became difficult to get any muddy water. An interesting thing I learned is that the finer material does NOT migrate through the rootball. In fact, it is exceedingly difficult to get it to move at all. Frequently, I would get a clear stream from any flushing position, then slightly jet a little deeper into the rootball with the water: more muddy water. So, there were very few plants in which ALL the fine material was removed, but I stopped when the rootball integrity was threatened or about an inch deep of the rootball was clean. In almost no cases was all or nearly all the soil removed. The coaser material remained imbedded. Since my mix is fir bark and perlite, the coarser perlite remained, but some still intact bark was there too. Now, if you used a finer nursery mix, you might not be able to do this process, since earth type soils don't have much particle integrity and will be flushed out completely and the rootball integrity will be lost. I repotted gently. I did not poke and probe with a chopstick or other instrument to pack the soil, as this was deemed too destructive to the roots. I achieved acceptable packing mostly by shaking the pot and with a few final slams on the table to settle it. Since these plants were already pretty hungry, I proceeded with immediate fertilization. I have a low dose of Osmocote incorporated into my mix, and I also gave them a full dose of granular 15-15-15 on top AFTER the initial thorough watering flush. I took the further risk of putting them back in full sun where they were before, although this is an overhead watered area and sheltered by other plants and the ground stays pretty saturated, so there is some moderation of our typically hot dry conditions. This was a pretty risky procedure, but seemed sound. Still, I proceeded with a bit of angst since these were very valuable cutting grown Nishiki black pines.... AND the result is in. I checked them again yesterday. I did about 100 pines in that batch, zero losses, stems that were cut are nicely budded as expected with summer pruning. Again, this was done with P. thunbergii. P. parviflora is more difficult. If it can be done with white pine, it would probably require far more protective aftercare. An earlier experiment with P.p. proved an abysmal failure, probably because it was too hot and dry for them. The black pine also had a tough time in this location, so there may a timing factor as well. These were done in mid spring. In general, I have had far more problems with repotting conifers in spring than in summer, but I don't have anything conclusive to say about whether it will work under the right conditions. After I did this batch of one gallon plants, I got brave and repotted some of the 2 and 3 gallon size P.t. cultivars. I got cold feet with these and stuck them under shadecloth just to be safe for aftercare. These too all survived, although there is not the degree of budbreak as on the one gallon pines. This probably has too causes, one is the fact that there were done later, and the other is that they received less light. I again emphasize that these were HEALTHY plants despite the fact they needed repotting. I also did a batch of P.t. mikawa pines that were not as healthy and not growing as strongly. There were some losses in that group, although some have budded out after completely defoliating. I almost feel like saying "Don't try this at home". Much of what you read and hear about bonsai horticulture is bunk. You can do more things and perform them out of season than you usually read. HOWEVER, to accomplish them, you have to have a good understanding of how your plants grow, a feel for how your climate limits or enhances certain processes, and always err on the side of caution. Brent in Northern California Evergreen Gardenworks USDA Zone 8 Sunset Zone 14 http://www.EvergreenGardenworks.com ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Lisa Kanis++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
#5
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[IBC] Washing roots
Thanks for your reply. My intent was not to wash the roots just for the
sake of it. I never do. But is good to know in a worst case scenario. I´ve read in some books and magazines that you should NEVER eliminate more than 1/3 of the soil on a japanese white pine and was wondering if NEVER was a too strong word. Cincerely Håkan Hakan: I would not "wash" the Japanese White Pine root pad for the sake of simply washing it. If the tree is healthy, do not tempt success. Rake out the roots on the sides and on the bottom, trim as required, add fresh soil, and move on to the next project. Cordially, Michael Persiano The Michael Persiano Bonsai Studio ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Lisa Kanis++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
#6
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[IBC] Washing roots
Removing soil will do nothing to harm the mycorrhizae established on a tree; the roots are full of the mycorrhizal fungus, and will simply put out more mycelium after the transplantation.
----Original Message----- Date: Sat Oct 18 21:07:15 EDT 2003 From: "Martin Haber" Subject: [IBC] Washing roots To: Pines are fussy about removing soil from their roots. If you remove all of the soil, you'll be removing the mychoriza as well. These trees depend upon it to grow. ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Lisa Kanis++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
#7
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[IBC] Washing roots
I would agree with "never", although there are obviously other points of
view- (i.e.Brent Walston's) Marty ----- Original Message ----- From: "Håkan Bengtsson" To: Sent: Monday, October 20, 2003 8:41 AM Subject: [IBC] Washing roots Thanks for your reply. My intent was not to wash the roots just for the sake of it. I never do. But is good to know in a worst case scenario. I´ve read in some books and magazines that you should NEVER eliminate more than 1/3 of the soil on a japanese white pine and was wondering if NEVER was a too strong word. Cincerely Håkan Hakan: I would not "wash" the Japanese White Pine root pad for the sake of simply washing it. If the tree is healthy, do not tempt success. Rake out the roots on the sides and on the bottom, trim as required, add fresh soil, and move on to the next project. Cordially, Michael Persiano The Michael Persiano Bonsai Studio ************************************************** ************************** **** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Lisa Kanis++++ ************************************************** ************************** **** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Lisa Kanis++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
#8
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[IBC] Washing roots
At 08:41 AM 10/20/03 -0400, Håkan Bengtsson wrote:
Thanks for your reply. My intent was not to wash the roots just for the sake of it. I never do. But is good to know in a worst case scenario. I´ve read in some books and magazines that you should NEVER eliminate more than 1/3 of the soil on a japanese white pine and was wondering if NEVER was a too strong word. NEVER is definitely too strong of a word for me since I routinely remove most if not all the soil from Pinus parviflora when repotting when dormant. White pines are not easy plants to grow. They regularly die for a host of reasons, mostly undiagnosed. This situation leads to some pretty bizarre explanations and cautions. Trying to untangle the reasons is tricky. I have spent the better part of the last ten years just getting them to grow reasonably well in our hot dry/cold wet seasonal changes. I have pretty much solved the problems for growing them HERE, but occasionally, one will still just up and die on me for no reason that I can discern (surrounded by healthy plants). I haven't even gotten around to the finer points of how to ramify them or to identify the differences in growth patterns between P.p. and P. thunbergii, since it has been so much work just to keep them alive. One is also reluctant to experiment on plants that are so valuable and at the same time so fragile. I now send out a care sheet with young P.p. grafts, praying that it will be read. I will copy it below. You may find it instructive. New Japanese White Pine Grafts Congratulations. You have purchased some of the finest bonsai starter material available in the US. These pines have been grafted onto Pinus thunbergii, Japanese Black Pine right at the root level. This will help you develop the best nebari possible without using cutting grown material. These are new grafts, and they need special care. They should stay in these pots until the appropriate repotting time in winter. They should NOT be pruned until after they are repotted and then re established in their new pot. You must resist the urge, pruning will greatly slow down the process of new root establishment and can kill these young plants. When you repot you will notice there are not as many roots as with vigorously growing seedling pines. This is to be expected with new grafts that recently have had the top of the understock cut off. They need to be repotted so that they can regenerate their root system in fresh soil that has not started the composting process (precursor to soil collapse). Do not use more than 50% fresh bark in your mix, and only use fresh bark or use 100% appropriate inorganic amendments. Soil degradation is a serious problem in growing Japanese White Pines. Remove all the old soil gently when repotting. Keep root work to a minimum. More serious root work can be preformed in later years when your plant is larger and stronger. These pines cannot tolerate direct intense sunlight in high UV areas or in hot dry areas. In these situations, grown them under 40% to 50% shadecloth all day. In milder areas, they will perform best with morning sun and afternoon shade. If the pots receive direct sunlight (not under shadecloth) it is recommended that you shield the pots in summer to keep them from heating up above the ambient air temperature. Root damage from excessively hot pots is a major cause of White Pine failure. With a proper soil mix, watering should not be a problem. Water every day when the daytime temperature is over 80F. Water when needed below that temperature. Make sure that they cycle wet/dry before rewatering. This is very important. Fertilize every other week during the growing season with a soluble 20-20-20, Miracle Gro, Miracid, or other good soluble fertilizer with minor and trace elements. Fertilize at the full strength recommended on the label, usually one tablespoon per gallon. Brent in Northern California Evergreen Gardenworks USDA Zone 8 Sunset Zone 14 http://www.EvergreenGardenworks.com ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Lisa Kanis++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
#9
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[IBC] Washing roots
At 08:41 AM 10/20/03 -0400, Håkan Bengtsson wrote:
Thanks for your reply. My intent was not to wash the roots just for the sake of it. I never do. But is good to know in a worst case scenario. I´ve read in some books and magazines that you should NEVER eliminate more than 1/3 of the soil on a japanese white pine and was wondering if NEVER was a too strong word. NEVER is definitely too strong of a word for me since I routinely remove most if not all the soil from Pinus parviflora when repotting when dormant. It just occured to me that there may be less disagreement than apparent on this issue. In light of my previous post on washing P. thunbergii roots- there is soil removal and then there is SOIL removal. If a P. parviflora has a fairly dense rootball, removing all or most of the soil may only be possible with significant root damage. In this case, it is not soil removal that is the problem, it is root damage that occurs in the process. That is why I actually like to wash roots as opposed to mechanically removing soil, root damage is kept to a minimum. P.p. is far more sensitive to root removal and damage than P.t. When repotting P.p. , you can keep the damage to a minimum by doing constructive root work to the nebari and surrounding root ball, but removing the fines from the inner rootball through washing. Periodically of course, you will want to remove portions of the inner rootball to rejuvenate the entire rootball over time. Brent in Northern California Evergreen Gardenworks USDA Zone 8 Sunset Zone 14 http://www.EvergreenGardenworks.com ************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Lisa Kanis++++ ************************************************** ****************************** -- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ -- +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++ |
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