Privet 001 - Working on nebari

Privet [ Ligustrum ] 001 - Working on the nebari

This was one of the first trees it tried to create into a bonsai.
Privet [ Ligustrum ] are really good trees for beginners.
Its a fast grower, it easily roots, it gives off shoots almost anywhere on the tree [ trunk, branches and even exposed roots ] and it readily gives off small leaves.

If you are in the tropics and want to start with a tree to turn into a bonsai, privet [ Ligustrum ] is for you!
An alternative is ficus [ F. Benjamina, F. Retusa, etc ]

This privet was collected in 2010, then after 1 year of stupidity on my part, i.e. I potting the plant into a bonsai pot from the start, Jerry Norbury suggested that I "place it in the ground, to allow it to thicken up and improve the roots". When you are starting up and you get all those youtube vids that just take the plant out, repot them and "presto" you get a "quick" bonsai, hearing someone suggesting that you put your tree back into the ground is really the last thing you want to hear...

It took me some months, but I ended doing just what Jerry suggested.
I placed the tree back into the ground in 2011 to thicken up and improve the nebari.

Some weeks ago, the tree was starting to grow some new shoots.
It was the right time to check on the roots , so I uprooted it to look at how it was doing and do some corrections it was needed.

Normally you would do this type of operation every 2~3 years in a temperate region, but in the tropics you get two to three growth cycles per year.

Back in 2011 - Before placing it into the ground.

Zoom on the roots - The trunk is very thin after 1 year training
and the nebari [ surface roots ] are non existant.

"In the ground"

After 1 year - the main trunk has thickened up
and the primary branches too.

A 15mm diameter

The root mass uncleaned.

Long lateral root - This is bound to happen in the ground.
The lateral root will spread long and wide from the tree, and
the feeder roots will develop at the end.

We want to avoid this when creating a bonsai.
The lateral roots should be cut back closer to the
 trunk to promote denser feeder roots near the trunk.

The root ball cleaned

A long and thick lateral root. This will be
reduced in length.

Identifying potential nebari

Identifying potential nebari

Another long lateral root that will have
to be reduced in length.

The root system underneath - I'm looking for tap root formations.
Tap roots are necessary for anchoring trees into the ground,
but its not necessary inside a bonsai pot.

Found one tap root [ starts from the middle
of the root and moves out towards the bottom left ] that will be removed.

The plant was placed deep into the ground, several roots
occured on the trunk itself.

After removal of the root on the trunk.

Lateral root that needs to be reduced

Same lateral root after it has been reduced

Several roots shooting out of the main trunk

Much better

I was going to keep that root, but most of the nebari
is present much below. I ended up removing it completely.

The root was thick, to avoid any splitting the root was
removed in several stages

Nearly done

Completely removed

Checking the root for any other issues

This root is crossing over one another. When those two
roots thicken this might become an issue.

Seperated roots

Back into the ground.