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Working soil into the roots below the trunk – repotting field-grown satsuki

February 26, 2019 by Jonas Dupuich

Satsuki bonsai are commonly bare-rooted when they are dug from the field. These trees can have lots of fine roots under the trunk that can make repotting difficult.

Bare root satsuki azalea ‘Hanabin’

Lots of roots under the trunk

Simply setting the tree into a mound of soil can lead to air pockets in which new roots cannot grow. To avoid this, we can work soil into the roots before setting the tree. Here’s what the process looks like.

First prepare the pot and fill it with a mound of kanuma.

The mound of kanuma in the pot

Once the pot is ready, we can start on the roots.

Holding the tree root-side up

After sprinkling fine soil over the roots

After pouring fine kanuma over the roots, use a chopstick to incorporate the soil into the gaps under the trunk.

Using a chopstick to work the soil into the roots

To keep the soil in place, spray water on the soil.

Spraying the soil to keep it in place

Repeat the process until the gaps are filled.

Sprinkling more soil over the roots

More chopstick work

Ready to go in the pot

After working the soil between the roots, flip the tree onto the mound of kanuma.

Ready to put the tree into the pot

After flipping the tree into the pot

The next step is setting the tree by turning if from side to side until it sits at the appropriate depth.

Setting the tree

After setting the tree

Once the tree is set, tie it in place and add kanuma to cover the roots. Using a chopstick, incorporate the soil between the roots to make sure there are no air gaps.

Filling holes with soil

This step can take a while when there are lots of nooks and crannies to fill. If the soil settles a lot during this step, re-fill the pot and repeat the process.

After adding more soil for a second round of chopstick work


Chopstick work complete

Once the chopstick work is complete, fill the pot just below the rim with kanuma.

After filling the pot

A layer of mountain moss can preserve moisture near the surface of the soil.

After adding a layer of mountain moss

Repotting complete – 6″ tall

The same process applies to any field-grown trees that have been bare-rooted. In the case of bare-rooted azaleas, sheltering the trees from wind or cold can help them recover from this work.

Related Posts

Repotting bare-root satsuki azaleas

Preventing air pockets under the trunk – repotting satsuki azalea

 

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Filed Under: Bonsai Development Tagged With: Repotting, Satsuki

Previous Post: « Reducing primary branches on coast live oak
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Josiah VanWagner says

    February 26, 2019 at 5:59 am

    wow! what a great looking specimen. i cab imagine your excited to move to branch development.

    • Jonas Dupuich says

      February 26, 2019 at 3:49 pm

      Thanks Josiah – yes, I’m very excited to work on the branches! I’ll wait about a year before working on these but am very much looking forward to it.

  2. Doug Zeeff says

    February 26, 2019 at 8:28 am

    That one simple procedure will save many hours of poking this spring. Thanks!

  3. Barry Miller says

    February 26, 2019 at 8:32 am

    Thanks Jonas, I’ve never heard to use pure kanuma.

  4. Ray says

    February 26, 2019 at 12:36 pm

    Thank you Jonas. Do you have any posts on repotting an already established Satsuki’s in a bonsai pot?

    • Jonas Dupuich says

      February 26, 2019 at 3:48 pm

      Hi Ray! I don’t yet have an article about repotting established satsuki. I’ll look to do one when I have a good tree to work with. The short version: use 100% kanuma and be careful when handling the fine roots as they can dry out quickly and break away easily.

  5. Stefanos Papavasileiou says

    February 27, 2019 at 3:31 am

    Always repot bare rooted my bonsai material, never thought of that upside down procedure.. Thank you for once more!

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