Good start, 10 years to good bonsai (may be faster in your climate). Next spring you can get this tree into a big bonsai pot, I might have done it this year when you did the cut down, but that is just one approach. The issue will be finding where the nebari is relative to the first few roots you see. I might suggest that you cut down the pot and take the surface soil down 2-3-4 inches, exposing the surface roots and "combing them out" away from the trunk. then replace the top soil with a medium coarse bonsai soil. place a little sphagnum around the trunk at the nebari line (like 1-2" from the trunk out). This will help with a couple of things, one it will get the nebari cleaned and starting to do some new growth, get you roots on the surface fixed and get you prepared for the root cut down and 50% barerooting that will need to occur next spring. Then find a big cheap pot to use next year. Looks like a fun, fun project. John
Good going Adair! I hope it does ok now. I'm anxious about how much some big bonsai pots are going to set me back when needed lol I got my own JBP delivered yesterday from Brussels. It's a beauty, I'll have to post some pics.
John, do you keep the sphagnum moss moist all the time? I'm finding it drying out, yet the substrate is still moist.
