Hi Sergy, i would say no because Phosphorus plays a vital role in healthy root growth, if the roots are not growing the tree isn't growing so i would use something with some phosphorus in it for development.

Hi Sergy, Don't trim but rather lightly tease them out. When slip potting we don't want to disturb the root system very much because we usually do it out of repotting season and also we don't want to delay the growth of the tree by making it fix cut roots.

i have never touched these trees personally nor have i seen any examples of them so i really cant say too much about them. i would say keep it growing and perform basic techniques and see how it reacts, if it reacts negatively then change the technique or timing.

Looks like its going to be a nice tree mate. will be interesting to keep seeing some updates on it as you do more work.

Hi Greg, Welcome to the community. Those ads you are seeing are actually spammers selling backlinks for peoples websites. I have Re-Captcha turned on but given they do it manually it doesn't stop them. i do try to delete them as quick as possible but given my schedule i can be late to the party sometimes. Hopefully there will be some more bonsai content as the forum continues to grow!

Hi Matt, you shouldn't have too much trouble if the trees are healthy and they have already put on their first flush of growth for the season. Our natives are a little different to the exotics in terms of timing for root work, we need to try and aim for the spaces in between new growth rather then as we see new growth. Sounds like you don't have a lot of time and the trees will be killed anyway so id say go for it, cut them down to a stump first then dig them up, if you dig them up and leave all the growth on they likely wont survive. Keep them protected for a few weeks after as well.

Zeolite is more of a substitute for lava rock. Akadama is our main ingredient in our in organic mix's due to both its moisture retention and also its cation exchange capacity ( ability to hold nutrients ). It also has a unique structure in which it can slip roots as they grow into it causing a ramifying root system that becomes very fine which results in the same type of growth on the tree.

Sample Lesson From The Course. 1 part of the 3 part wiring discussion.

Hi Sergy, We have just released a new format of Education for Bonsai-En. To start this new platform off we have launched the Beginners Bonsai Course which has over 4 Hrs of Lectures. Courses will be added continually so you will be able to continue building on your skills. Learn More About The Course Here : https://www.bonsai-en.com.au/online-events

Hi Tia, The Master Classes are on hold due to Covid, Unfortunately Andrew and I live in 2 different areas which have been in lockdown and neither of us are able to travel between the areas. Our master Classes are held in private Facebook Groups where all the students are able to talk and share experience with each other. Usually the Beginners Course is 3x 2Hr live sessions held once a week on a Saturday here in Aus ( Most likely a Friday afternoon / Night for USA ). There is a live chat so questions can be asked during a session and usually students post in the group. All sessions can also be replayed at anytime. The beginners course is $39.99Aud. Im hopeful we will be able to get back into it all soon as we have been given a date of December 1st when we can resume as normal.

Hi, You should be able to go to your account by clicking your name up in the top right of the screen where the bell icon is and clicking profile, once there you will see "More" to the side, when you click that a menu will appear, at the bottom you will see " My Account ". Once in there you can change your Display Name and Click update info.

You would stop training / wiring once you are happy with the shape and structure of the tree. you still may need to do small amounts of detail wiring though even when the tree is well refined as they are always growing.

I think you are on the right track in removing that first branch, my though behind that is because you have a thin slender trunk the tree would benefit from having most of its foliage higher up in the tree, this will make it look more proportional.

When in development you can use any organic mix really. In my videos i sometimes just mention what I'm using at the time. 1 Development mix i usually suggest which is something I've used a lot and had great success with and is available almost any where is a regular potting mix with all the fines sieved out usually through a 1 - 1.5mm screen and perlite. By sieving out fines you stop the mix from clogging up and the added perlite helps with drainage and adding oxygen to the mix. I usually tell people to begin with a 20% rate of perlite mixed in with the potting mix and either add more perlite if you live in an area that is very wet throughout the year or less if your area is very very hot, dry and windy.

Well looking at the bark texture and the fact the needles are soft I'd say you have a Monterey pine ( Radiata ). Treat it as a single flush pine unlike your black pines.

When you touch the tops of the needles are they soft and bend easy or are they stiff and almost stab your hand?

Is the tree in a Bonsai pot or growing container? , can we also see the whole tree?

I love seeing Nebari on trees like that, it gives me so much inspiration, But i hate when they are in my yard and i have to mow around them and do detail work with the whipper snipper hahaha.

Hi Tia, I might make this into a YouTube video as i think a lot of people with benefit from this. I will say though that Deadwood is far less common on Deciduous trees as they are seen as very elegant trees, where deadwood is much more common on say conifers as they are looked at as much more rugged trees that have been through a tough life. This is not to say that you wont find any type of deadwood on deciduous but it will be far less common.