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| Howdy!
I recently re-potted my Cryptomeria japonica 'tansu' and took a few pics of the process...that way, if it dies, I'll have something to remember it by... ;) See the original Thread for two year's worth of pics, linked above and below. Now, my main order of business was breaking up the matted roots near the basal flare. I "brushed" the roots out, trimmed them, hosed the root-ball, trimmed, brushed, hosed, trimmed, et cetera, until I had reduced the root-mass sufficiently. Each pass seemed to reveal more roots.... The fresh potting medium is Pine/Fir Bark primarily, with Pumice and a small fraction of sharp Quartz gravel. I added Osmocote fertilizer to the mix, as well. Wow, that's some roots! Re-potted in summer, so about half a year's growth...!
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Here is a link that might be useful: Cryptomeria japonica 'tansu'
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Cool pics, Josh. If you like the Cryptomeria, I would urge you to also look into something that originated in your neighborhood - dwarf Mendocino cypress (Cupressus pigmaea). It's a fast grower and an excellent subject for bonsai, even if not yet all that popular. Al |
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- Posted by greenman28 Nor Cal 7/8 (My Page) on Sun, Feb 7, 10 at 1:48
| Thanks for having a peek, Al! Next time I'm at the local nursery, I'll look for Cupressus pigmaea. I think I might have seen a few small bonsai starts...perhaps I'll make a trip tomorrow morning... Josh |
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| hello and thank you for your report. Your cryptomeria is a little small but cryptomeria grow very fast. I have 2 which are planted in the ground for 3 years and now trunks are about 5 cm in height. When I planted it, it was the same of our. |
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- Posted by vickivaughan 8 (My Page) on Tue, Feb 16, 10 at 14:03
| Try black dragon crypto if you can find it at a nursery near you. Very dense dark green foliage. vicki |
Here is a link that might be useful: vicki@flatrockkoi.com
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- Posted by greenman28 Nor Cal 7/8 (My Page) on Tue, Feb 16, 10 at 15:14
| Hi, Everyone! Tchoco - this cultivar is among the slowest-growing. Vicki, thanks for the recommendation. Al, |
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- Posted by greenman28 Nor Cal 7/8 (My Page) on Fri, Mar 12, 10 at 20:46
| Well, it hasn't crapped out as far as I can tell...and it even seems to be greening up again. Sorry, bad pics. But click the thumbnails for bigger bad pics ;)
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- Posted by greenman28 Nor Cal 7/8 (My Page) on Thu, Jul 15, 10 at 22:36
| I don't want to speak too soon, but it looks as though the 'Tansu' is really enjoying this mix! ;) I always take pics of this tree at the wrong time of day....
Josh |
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| What a difference - it even looks like a tree now :-)! And congrats on not going crazy pruning everything - I don't know if everyone could restrain themselves like that. |
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| I was a little concerned about how dull the foliage looked upthread & thought you might be losing it, but it sure looks better now, after some TLC. Good job, Josh. BTW - I had mentioned/suggested dwarf Mendocino cypress (Cupressus pigmaea) upthread. I was lucky enough to stumble upon some at a small bonsai nursery downstate earlier this summer. If you'd like one, I'd be happy to share. A friend (Jack Wikle) does a very nice job with them. Follow this link and scroll down to page 2 on the left to get a look at the growth habit. Take care. Al |
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- Posted by greenman28 Nor Cal 7/8 (My Page) on Fri, Jul 16, 10 at 11:47
| Thanks, Larke and Al! Larke, the only pruning I've done was to alleviate some of the congestion which you mentioned last year. I haven't touched it since then! I wanted it to fill in and cover some of the burned/dried areas near the trunk. I am quite happy with the progress. Al, that was probably just my terrible, over-exposed pic upthread! ;) This little tree I'd really love to work with a Mendocino cypress. Josh |
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- Posted by jojosplants (My Page) on Fri, Jul 16, 10 at 14:40
| Josh, It looks great! Al~ I was courious and tried the link you gave and it's not working.. at least not for me. says document is gone. |
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| Me too - same massage. ;o) Try copy/paste to your browser: http://www.annarborbonsaisociety.org/newsletters/2009/Feb2009.pdf Al |
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- Posted by jojosplants Az Z9 (My Page) on Fri, Jul 16, 10 at 23:43
| Thanks Al~ That worked. What a great little tree! JJ |
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- Posted by greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a (My Page) on Tue, Feb 19, 13 at 11:13
| I'm back with an update.... The 'Tansu' was knocked off its bench by an overhasty cat last Spring, and has been struggling in the same cracked pot ever since - the crack causing the mix to dry more readily and making even moisture somewhat of an issue. And so, with rain forecasted for today, I decided to re-pot yesterday so that the tree could recuperate with a slow, natural watering. With photobucket transitioning to a new and unworkable format, I'm going to add single pics per post via the GardenWeb feature, rather than loading them all to one post. This way, the images will be clickable for greater detail. First, the tree in the old pot, sitting beside the new pot - a #2B nursery container: |
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- Posted by greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a (My Page) on Tue, Feb 19, 13 at 11:16
| Next, the roots. Definitely root-bound, but the roots are very healthy. The mix of fir bark, red lava rock, perlite, and quartzite promoted great root vitality: |
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- Posted by greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a (My Page) on Tue, Feb 19, 13 at 11:17
| Another view of the root-mass.... |
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- Posted by greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a (My Page) on Tue, Feb 19, 13 at 11:23
| Re-potted in a fresh mix of screened fir bark, red lava rock (Scoria), perlite, and turface. I also potted the tree in an upright fashion. |
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- Posted by greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a (My Page) on Tue, Feb 19, 13 at 11:26
| And lastly, I took the tree to a protected area on the northeast side of the house, added a bamboo stake to keep the roots from moving in the new mix, sprinkled some Osmocote over the surface, and slowly watered the entire media. |
This post was edited by greenman28 on Tue, Feb 19, 13 at 11:29
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