VIDEO: Repotting a huge, 100kg Carpinus

[Sebastijan Sandev]

Here is my repotting session with almost a 100kg heavy Carpinus orientalis..

http://sandevbonsai.blogspot.com/2012/0 ... pinus.html

[Karl-Heinz G.]

Wow, what a hughe tree! Thanks for sharing this video Sebastijan.

[Peter L]

Hello Sebastijan,
thanks for the documentation.

I think you use a chainsaw which is very quiet because you didn’t use ear protectors…

Peter

[greenhorn187]

I think you use a chainsaw which is very quiet because you didn’t use ear protectors…

Peter

I think using a noisy chainsaw often makes it more and more quiet within the years...doesnt it?

Interesting video, by the way!

[Kryz]

Indeed a very impressive video.

I've got two questions:
1) Why was it needed to repot? The roots looked not quite dense and to my feeling the tree would have felt comfortable in this pot for one or two more years...
2) Why is it necessary to fix the tree with so many screws to the wooden pot? I would have thought a tree of such size is self-stabilized just by its heavy weight?

Tank you for helping me to learn!

[Sebastijan Sandev]

I think you use a chainsaw which is very quiet because you didn’t use ear protectors…

Peter

I think using a noisy chainsaw often makes it more and more quiet within the years...doesnt it?

Interesting video, by the way!

Oh yes, something like that!

[Sebastijan Sandev]

Indeed a very impressive video.

I've got two questions:
1) Why was it needed to repot? The roots looked not quite dense and to my feeling the tree would have felt comfortable in this pot for one or two more years...
2) Why is it necessary to fix the tree with so many screws to the wooden pot? I would have thought a tree of such size is self-stabilized just by its heavy weight?

Tank you for helping me to learn!

Kryz,
Indeed, it was not necessary to repot concerning root mass, there was enough space for at least two more years. But, my decision was guided with these arguments...
1 previous box was way too large, it was extremely heavy to carry around the garden, it also occupied lot of space. Tree was not firmly fixed in the box and was moving while carrying tree...
I needed smaller box as a transition towards a bonsai pot. I was also curious how the roots performed in this substrate, which I was not very happy about. Now, I have made a different substrate mix. I have made a stronger and smaller wooden box, I have shorten a big and heavy roots and I have firmly fixed the tree for the box.
2 Unfortunately, tree of this size...or in fact, any size, is not self stabilized just by its weight. Recently collected tree doesn't have a decent root ball to be able to sit firmly into the pot. Nevertheless, even trees with a dense root balls, after transplanting, require fixing with wires for the bonsai pot. Any movement of the tree after transplanting is catastrophic for new root growth, especially if someone intends to move the tree in the garden often, or to work on the tree (drilling, wiring)
Firm fix is the best thing that you can do for newly repotted tree...believe me, I have tried wrongly and I have many bad experiences regarding that wrong practice
I hope you will be satisfied with my answer
Wish you all the best
S

[Kryz]

Hi Sebastijan,

Thank you very much for these valuable insights. I will take fixing my trees in the pot more serious in the future.

Of course, I am now curious to know (and I am sure also some others here in the forum) what was wrong with your original substrate and what was it actually? What is the recipe of your new substrate and why do you think it'll work better?

[Sebastijan Sandev]

Hi Sebastijan,

Thank you very much for these valuable insights. I will take fixing my trees in the pot more serious in the future.

Of course, I am now curious to know (and I am sure also some others here in the forum) what was wrong with your original substrate and what was it actually? What is the recipe of your new substrate and why do you think it'll work better?

Kryz,
My original substrate was pure floreopor...just expanded clay with 0% anything organic. That was a time, couple of years ago, when I was experimenting with substrates extensivly..at that time, I used just pure expanded clay...on German market, probably something like Maxit, similar stuff that Walter Pall uses. But there's no problem with floreopor basicaly, the problem was I used it 100% pure. The thing was drying so fast in the middle of summer that after an hour of my watering session, I would put my finger ten centimeters deep into the substrate and I felt almost no water...just an hour after watering!!! And I noticed that trees do not like it very much. Further more, the thing was sterile, the microbiological status of my substrate was disaster...just nothing. My impression was that trees didn't like it very much...it simply wasn't good, you could feel it, no big philosophy. But, as a component in a substrate mix, floreopor is just fantastic. Doesn't decompose, drainage is superb...just have to mix it with a small percentage of something ...
Now, I use floreopor in which I add cca 15-20% of peat, some pumice of big granulation (10-30mm), crushed pine tree bark
Drainage is great, water holding abbility is also very good, and microbiologicaly sounds Ok.
One more thing...I had those sacks of crushed tree bark for two years just laying in my garden unopened. After I opened them, the bark was full of white micelium of funghi, micorhiza. That could be only beneficial to the microenvironment of substrate
So, that's it

[Kryz]

Hi Sebastijan,

Thank you very much. Since this is a very very interesting piece of experience, let me put this in German for those in this forum who do not feel comfortable enough in English:

Sebastijan hatte seine Hainbuche in einem Experiment in 100% Blähton (=Maxit) gesetzt. Er hat aber sehr schnell realisiert, dass der Baum leidet. Im heißen Sommer war das Substrat innerhalb von nur einer Stunde nach dem Gießen so trocken, dass er keine Feuchtigkeit mehr fühlen konnte, selbst wenn er seinen Finger 10 cm tief hineindrückte. Auch die Mikrobiologie (z.B. Mykorrhiza) war ein Desaster - das Substrat war und blieb steril. Daher benutzt Sebastijan heute ein weiterhin auf Blähton basiertes, aber weiterentwickeltes Substrat (das man als "Walter Pall Plus" bezeichnen könnte):
Er mischt zum Blähton 15-20% Torf, groben Bims (10-30 mm) und zerkleinerte Pinienrinde (bekommt man im Baumarkt in Plastiksäcken zur Oberflächenabdeckung des Gartens). Die Drainage ist weiterhin exzellent, aber das Substrat hält viel besser die Feuchtigkeit. Jetzt kommt das Interessanteste: Sebastijan hatte seine Pinienrindensäcke zwei Jahre draußen im Garten liegen und als er sie öffnete, waren sie durch und durch von Myzelium (=Mykorrhiza-Pilz) durchsetzt. Wir wissen ja schon aus dem Mykorrhiza-Thread von Andreas, wie wichtig die Bodenbiologie ist.

Riesen-Dankeschön an Sebastijan, dass er seine Erfahrungen hier mit uns teilt!

[Georg]

Ähnliche Erfahrung mit Mykorrhiza habe ich auch gemacht: gehäckselte Rinde und kleineren Ästen von 2 gefällten Kiefern im Herbst in den Garten getan und mit Herbstlaub abgedeckt.
Alles im Frühjahr jetzt mit Mykorrhiza "verschimmelt". Das Beste: ich habe für die Überwinterung meine Kiefer im Pott daraufgestellt und mit Blättern abgedeckt.
Jetzt kontrolliert und alles bei bester Gesundheit und voll mit Mykorrhiza.