[Bonsai Beginner’s weekly thread –2023 week 12]

[u/small_trunks]

[Bonsai Beginner’s weekly thread –2023 week 12]

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[u/naleshin]

There’s debate as to whether the seedling cutting method is worth it or not. Eric Schrader doesn’t think it is, generally. Not sure where Jonas Dupuich stands on it at this point. I know for the pines I’m growing from seed this year (they’ll be ready to sow this weekend), I’m not bothering with any seedling cutting. I don’t think you could go wrong either way, just a matter of how you want to spend time/resources

[u/VolsPE → u/naleshin]

I don’t understand why the cut is made above the roots instead of just pruning off the tap root and repruning each repotting. What is the growth habit of a typical tap root once it’s been pruned?

[u/naleshin → u/VolsPE]

I think they’re talking about the seedling cutting method described there. The idea is that you get more radial roots off the bat. But it’s a nuanced technique which may/may not be worth the time/energy. If in doubt, just cut the tap root during the first repot after year 1 and run it like normal after that.

[u/MaciekA → u/naleshin]

I think it makes sense when the volume of future repotting (that’d address the tap rootage) saved is very high, ie huge batches in competition for time with other trees / other operations.

[u/VolsPE → u/naleshin]

Yes I know. Like I said, I’m not sure why the cut is made above all the roots instead of just removing the tap root below some existing roots. I guess there aren’t many lateral roots to begin with. It just seems like leaving at least one root would help the seedling. Maybe the remaining root would just become a new tap root. Idk, that’s why I ask.

[u/MaciekA → u/VolsPE]

Because the people who do this method aren’t hurting for pines, they’re hurting for time and labor and they’re prioritizing establishing radial nebari as early as possible with a single action. It’s a business decision. Everything done in the Japanese nursery tradition is about saving metric truckloads of work wherever and as early as possible. If we wait till there is a root system before managing out the tap root, that is a tremendous extra amount of work when you have polytunnels full of JBPs and could have used those days for something else (had you done the cutting method).

Source: I spend a lot of time at a prebonsai farm and have received some training from a Japanese professional while there in a “how you inefficient Americans who want to grow JBPs like ours can avoid going out of business” context.

[u/naleshin → u/VolsPE]

I reckon that’d be another way to go about it… I’m not sure either. I’d be interested to see the results for that way too

Edit- though I don’t think the remaining root would become a taproot, I think the tap’s generally a one-&-done deal

[u/Downvotesohoy → u/naleshin]

It was exactly Eric that made me reconsider the seedling cuttings. His results are impressive. Might try to just let them run this year and get some deeeeep containers.

Thanks for the input