Nebari first or branches and Nebari work simultaneously ?

I've been practicing Bonsai since 2011 so you can consider me as a total newbie

I have in my small "collection" some trees I keep on repotting every year making a root selection and hoping to see them sprout roots where I want them to, in the mean time I let them go crazy on the top with no intervention at all since I believe this will help them develop roots faster.

As a result, after 2 years, they still look exactly the same, if not worse, then the day I got them while I can read on different places of the board wonderful progressions from cuttings to shohin in just 5 years.

Is what I am doing right? is this the correct order of the steps? or you generally work top and bottom simultaneously?

P.S.: I am talking about maples/elms/ficus, I own no pines.

Thank you for your insights

It can be done, but in general if a tree isn't "born" with a good base -- nebari, if we must -- it is quite difficult to produce one from nothing. Root grafts, for instance, are nothing for the neophyte to try.

That said, potting the tree in a fairly good sized pot over a flat board, a plate, or a tile so the roots have to spread out (and wiring roots to point where you want them to point) can, in time, produce decent bases -- especially on maples. You probably do not want to repot every year, however. Let them grow.

If you don't go overboard with pruning, you can work on the top while you are letting the base (hopefully) mature.

But your best bet in all cases is to select plants that already have the start of an orderly, flaring base. And note that many nursery plants have messy tangles of roots twisting around their base. Many newcomers to bonsai seem to think that because this tangle of roots is exposed they, therefore, have a tree with a good nebari. All they really have is a mess.

Hi Akhater

Saw your topic...I will soon show some diffrent ways I use.....need to take some pictures first
Later look for a new topic....I will not use this, as I may want to update, and will find it dificult to find the tpoic again.

Kind regards Yvonne