This little American Hornbeam, Carpinus caroliniana, is just pushing buds after this long, cold first part of spring. It’s due to be repotted. Below is how it looked before I started.
I have made a couple of changes since it was last potted, but its position seems to be focused on the separation of the two trunks rather than the best base. As I repot today, I will turn the front toward the side pictured below.
The flare of the roots from this side is a big improvement, and I like the depth created by this rotation of the trunks as well.
Let’s take a look at what’s inside the pot, shall we?
The densely packed roots are what I expected. I used a chopstick and root hook to loosen them up and remove some of the old soil.
To fit into the pot I selected, a lot of these will need to be trimmed significantly.
While I have it out of the pot, I inspected the bottom and found I could remove a bit more of the base below where the roots flare on the surface.
That light spot in the middle is a fresh cut of the trunk that extends down below the soil surface and below the roots that I want to develop further.
With this work done, it is ready for another growing season.
Bonsai Iterate 
Reblogged this on Wolf's Birding and Bonsai Blog.
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