Ficus 002 - F. Retusa : Improving nebari

Bonsai : Ficus retusa

The bonsai has a nice flow of the trunk, but not much work has been done on the roots.

In 2011

In 2011

As it is above, it was basically a stick coming out of the pot.
There was no root system to expose, so the tree was placed into a slightly bigger "training" pot.
Earlier this week, I decided to have a look at the root development.

In its training pot

Unpotted - The roots are still tangled

Untangled roots - Lots of long roots

Untangled roots - Lots of long roots

Feeder roots - The white/yellowish roots are the feeder roots.
Those are the roots that actually absorb nutrients and water
for the tree.

Since there  are several feeder roots growing out of the base
of the trunk, I've taken the risk of greatly reducing the root
mass. There are still lots of feeder roots at the tips of the roots.

A close-up of the feeder roots near the base of the trunk.

Placing the tree back into the training pot - Spread the
roots as much as possible.

Placing the tree back into the training pot - Spread the
roots as much as possible.

After repotting - Will let the tree rest for 3~4 weeks,
then start you can start fertilizing