Cutting Roots on Chinese Elm

[Juliew]

I am in the middle of repotting my Chinese Elm. It has been in a temporary larger pot due to a number of problems when I first got it.
I would now like to place it back in the original pot. The pot is small, and the roots have grown to it's exact size (with little or no bonsai soil added). I'm just not sure how to cut them. I'm attaching a couple of pics so you can see how root bound it was. I appreciate any help or suggestions! Sorry about the sideways pics, I still don't know what I'm doing wrong!

[Gnome]

Juliew,

You've got a real tangle there. Here are two threads you should review, unfortunately most of the image links are dead.
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... =36&t=3423
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... =36&t=3422

Think of the wheels of a spoke, arranged in a radial pattern, all emerging from the same location on the axle/trunk. This is what you should strive for. I don't think it is realistic to imagine that you can correct your roots in one session, it will take several sessions in order to correct the years of neglect exhibited.

Evaluate your situation and remove one of the larger roots that is out of place. Gently tease/spread the remainder, perhaps shortening a few if a new side root is present.

Another option would be to layer the entire top off and discard the existing root system. Here is a thread where I do this to a Zelkova, but again the images are gone and I don't know if I can find my originals even if I knew which ones were which.
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... =25&t=4176

[Gnome]

Here is one pic I could find.

[tomc]

Based on the photo, what you are seeing is a tree that had its trunk entirely girdled and a wire constricting the trunk at the wound.

It was then dusted with rooting hormone and a dish with soil set at the wound line, where a second set of roots will grow, Once the tree has gone dormant the old roots would be cut off.

Or, that is what I believe is on offer here.

If there is a danger here, This is not reversible. I would try this on a less valuable (read loved) candidate first. There aint no goin' back...

While this isn't exactly what the OP asked for. It is a workable way to get her where she wants to grow.

[Gnome]

Tom,

This is one of my trees and you're pretty much correct. I did not use the wire technique though, instead I removed a band of bark entirely. This one responded very well and is doing fine now but I have also had a few failures as well, so yes, there is a risk.

[tomc]

The slower multi-year "other" solution is to over pot this in a too big pot after a root pruning. And to repeat that repotting annually till the tree is on much smaller feet.

The amount of circling roots suggests that something needs doing. Trees can strangle themselves if left in pots unpruned.