Slanted designing and repoting

Beginners
1

hi guys, 3 weeks new into bonsai and starting to do my first design. I’ve seen many videos where they start designing slanting the pot. I have 2 questions regarding that:

  1. should the training pot be kept slanted from the wiring point on?

  2. how do that tree should pe repotted? do you slant the root ball?

Sorry for the very basic questions.

1 Like
2

Welcome to bonsai! Mirai has so many resources. There are tons of videos on restyling and repotting. I would suggest you start going through the library. The Beginner Series is great. The BSOP series and Season Wrap-up videos have a great depth of basic horticulture and styling basics/techniques. A wealth of knowledge in there…take your time, and take notes!

  1. If you have a design in mind setting the tree/pot in the angle you want it and keeping it there allows it to start growing that way naturally. This could be restyling a tree that’s already in a pot, or this could be a piece of nursery stock that has not been styled yet. Set the angle and style/wire at that angle. keep the tree like this until it has recovered and is back in an energy positive state and it’s ready to repot.

  2. When repotting, plan out how it will look in the pot you have selected. Major angle changes might mean that you will have to prune the roots from one side of the tree, and leave the majority of the roots on the other. Caution needs to be taken when you’re making drastic changes. The process might take a few seasons to get the roots in the right location. There is also the option to leave the roots exposed or mounded…depends on the design/pot.

Good luck! Well done trees take alot of time and thought…but I always think that the experience of ‘doing’ is the best way to learn. Dive in to the knowledge, and practice alot!

4 Likes
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awesome. Thanks! I definetly gotta go throu the library, it’s just that it is sooooo much lol.

I get it now, so in a year or so, when I repot I can definetly plant the tree slanted and prune/arrange roots so that it “feels” natural even on a horizontal ground. My mind was having a bit of trouble since, right now, the floor is also slanted (due to the training pot being that way) but I get it now. Thanks again!

1 Like