Nebari development: building the surface roots

Nebari — the visible spread of roots where the trunk meets the soil — is the slowest thing about a bonsai to build and the first thing a practiced eye checks. It develops mostly through repotting choices made over years: each time, favour roots that radiate evenly outward and shorten or remove any that cross, circle back under the trunk, or grow straight down instead of out. Planting slightly proud in the pot and combing roots outward and flat against the surface accelerates the spread. There is no shortcut through a single technique here — only consistent choices at every repot, over many repots.