I am just starting out ant have a few questions. This is a blue spruce that i I picked up at a hardware store. I was wondering because it is root bound, should I root prune in regular soil and leave it alone or should I prune the roots, style and placein bonsai pot and bonsai soil? The particular book I am reading for states to re pot a spruce in mid spring. Should I wait until mid spring to do anything?

i have a similar dilemma with some other conifers that im working on.

an instructor at a bonsai class told me to comb out the roots about a half inch on the side, not too much. then i put mine in a larger pot with additional good soil in it.

im planning on leaving it in there til next spring, then doing a root pruning/repotting.

he told me it was too late in the season and the tree would probably not survive a root pruning (unless you're an expert at bonsai, which i am not).

comb out the roots slightly, then give it some room to grow next year until you can do a good repotting. that would be my advice.

I completely agree with your sound advice Babybird. Do some minor combing/pruning and plant it in a spacious pot now but wait till next year before styling it properly. As soon as you place the tree in a smaller pot, it grows slower which means the thickness of your tree's trunk wont increase either.

Good luck!!

I would comb out the roots, dig a hole in your garden about 4-5 inches deep and place a large tile at the bottom. I would then place the tree in this hole and fill with bonsai soil. This will promote a good root structure and will thicken up the trunk as well. I would live it in the ground for at least 3 years, 5 or 6 would be ideal. In the spring when the new buds swell, pinch them out. This will encourage back budding from older wood and will increase the ramification of the branches. Spruce grow in a way that is a little bit like pines. If you pinch out half of the bud you will still get some extension growth but you will also promote budding at the wound site as well as further in on the branch. You want that foliage nice and close to the trunk so you won't have to make any drastic bends in the branches when you wire the tree. It will need a lot of wire work to bring those branches into play. This tree could make a good bonsai but first you must be patient. Let it grow free in the ground for several years before you actually start real work.

Hey, i had one like this tree, and finally i plant it in a garden: try with another species, is not easy to train it


Saludos
Cristián

Thanks for all the helpful responses.