The final steps of repotting a Shimpaku Juniper. From thinking through placement position to suit a left-flowing silhouette, to fixing the Planting Angle with wire, to the last step of dressing the Jin with Lime Sulfur Solution. Once tree and pot become one, only then do the roots begin to move.
On repotting day, the first question is always this: where in the pot does this tree belong?
The First Branch reaches out long to the left. Following that flow, the tree's weight is placed toward the right side of the pot, leaving a wide open space to the left. 'The bonsai is the main subject; the pot is its support' — the standard for deciding position always comes from the tree's side. Enjoying the pot's character and shape is fine. But as long as the pot drives the decision, the tree will never truly settle.
Once position is decided, the struggle with soil begins. The tree is set onto a mound of Potting Soil built up at the center of the pot, then rocked gently side to side, coaxing the roots downward, ever downward. The pads of the fingers press soil into every corner; a rubber mallet strikes the sides of the pot to send vibrations through.
This time, because the pot is shallow, Coarse Drainage Soil was omitted. When conditions change, so does the process. There seems to be a fixed form — and yet, perhaps it is only because one knows that form completely that one can depart from it.
Wire is drawn straight upward and tightened, holding the Planting Angle so it cannot shift. In this single step, one essential truth of bonsai is concentrated.
Deciding on an angle is an act of judgment. And fixing it in place is a commitment to upholding that judgment. If the tree moves even slightly, Fine Roots cannot form. Establishment begins only within stability. To allow movement is to let go of the decision that was just made.
Decorative Top Dressing is added, then Watering continues generously until clear water runs from the drainage holes. Finally, Lime Sulfur Solution is applied to the freshly dressed Jin. The world of roots invisible beneath, and the white deadwood that has already stopped in time — both are the shape of the years this Shimpaku Juniper has accumulated.
Even when Repotting is finished, nothing has been completed. Only from here do the roots begin to move toward the next season. Repotting is the work of setting a beginning in motion.
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