Can junipers be repotted at ANY time?

Mike Corazzi

Masterpiece
Messages
2,678
Reaction score
3,225
Location
Lincoln, CA
USDA Zone
9b
My bonsai club ...calendar.. says yes from Feb to October but I want to make sure.
It's a procumbens and it looks to be in way too small a pot. The wind wants to topple it from the bench and I have it tethered down but it still looks way too small (for conditions) and seems dangerous to leave it like that with the wind threat.
The pic is crummy but so is the cloudy weather.

juniper 2019.jpg
 

PaulH

Omono
Messages
1,807
Reaction score
4,432
Location
Rescue, CA
Are you sure it doesn't say October to February? That's when I do it. Sometimes as late as April depending on weather.
 

garywood

Chumono
Messages
945
Reaction score
713
Location
N. Alabama
USDA Zone
7
Mike, multi-part question and answer ;-) The pot doesn't appear to be too small. Junipers "can" be re-potted almost anytime "but" There is a learning curve only you can ride. If the soil is draining and fertilizer is sufficient then re-potting should be at optimal time.
 

Ali Raza

Shohin
Messages
370
Reaction score
187
Location
Islamabad, Pakistan
USDA Zone
9b
I had inadvertently repotted couples of junipers few years ago. The zone of season I reckon was from summer to early winter. Luckily they all survived.
 

Coppersdad

Mame
Messages
163
Reaction score
274
Location
near Seattle, WA
USDA Zone
8a
Has anyone heard of the practice of leaving a certain amount of soil on the root ball when it's necessary to re-pot while the tree is actively growing? The logic is supposed to be that by not disturbing at least part of the soil, there is less stress on the tree and chances of a positive outcome are greater.
 

Ali Raza

Shohin
Messages
370
Reaction score
187
Location
Islamabad, Pakistan
USDA Zone
9b
Has anyone heard of the practice of leaving a certain amount of soil on the root ball when it's necessary to re-pot while the tree is actively growing? The logic is supposed to be that by not disturbing at least part of the soil, there is less stress on the tree and chances of a positive outcome are greater.
Soil also consists of microbes responsible for activity in soil. When planted in fresh soil, microbes from old intact soil of rootball starts to grow and spread in the soil.
 

my nellie

Masterpiece
Messages
2,288
Reaction score
2,631
Location
Athens, Greece
USDA Zone
9a
Has anyone heard of the practice of leaving a certain amount of soil on the root ball when it's necessary to re-pot while the tree is actively growing? The logic is supposed to be that by not disturbing at least part of the soil, there is less stress on the tree and chances of a positive outcome are greater.
Are you referring to HBR/half bare root repotting?
 

Mike Corazzi

Masterpiece
Messages
2,678
Reaction score
3,225
Location
Lincoln, CA
USDA Zone
9b
Mike, multi-part question and answer ;-) The pot doesn't appear to be too small. Junipers "can" be re-potted almost anytime "but" There is a learning curve only you can ride. If the soil is draining and fertilizer is sufficient then re-potting should be at optimal time.
Very true. It's thriving but small only for wind resistance.
I'll keep it tethered.
A PITA but I guess how it has to be for now.
 

Mike Corazzi

Masterpiece
Messages
2,678
Reaction score
3,225
Location
Lincoln, CA
USDA Zone
9b
My "plan" was to lift the existing entire soil and put in a heavier pot. Which of course would wreck the wiring INTO the pot.
Grrrrrr...phooey.

Hmmm, editing again. I have wired .....through.... soil before.

Damn wind.
 

garywood

Chumono
Messages
945
Reaction score
713
Location
N. Alabama
USDA Zone
7
My "plan" was to lift the existing entire soil and put in a heavier pot. Which of course would wreck the wiring INTO the pot.
Grrrrrr...phooey.

Hmmm, editing again. I have wired .....through.... soil before.

Damn wind.
Mike, doing bonsai encompass's sooo many more things than our beginning imagery of quietly contemplating the meaning of life while we prune ;-) All of a sudden we have to learn a little horticulture, a little about environmental conditions, a little bit about construction, a little about aesthetics and a whole lot about time management ;-) All of a sudden it becomes a passion and we realize that every little bit we learn is just another step ;-) Then another ;-)
 

coachspinks

Chumono
Messages
636
Reaction score
758
Location
Just south of Atlanta
USDA Zone
8b
My bonsai club ...calendar.. says yes from Feb to October but I want to make sure.
It's a procumbens and it looks to be in way too small a pot. The wind wants to topple it from the bench and I have it tethered down but it still looks way too small (for conditions) and seems dangerous to leave it like that with the wind threat.
The pic is crummy but so is the cloudy weather.

View attachment 243351
Can you repot from Feb. to Oct? Yes, should you...maybe, if you are experienced enough. I know people who repot junipers all summer. They are successful. They also work on the roots and the top at the same time. They are successful at this as well. I don't because I don't have enough confidence in my abilities and at my age I have learned enough to be more patient than aggressive.
In regards to it toppling over in the wind. This is a common problem. Tie it down. Virtually every outdoor bonsai display I have seen ties many of their trees down.
 

hemmy

Omono
Messages
1,390
Reaction score
1,717
Location
NE KS (formerly SoCal 10a)
USDA Zone
6a
This is what started the Feb - Oct thing.
View attachment 243420
That looks like the one from the San Fran Club’s care calendar. Your profile says Lincoln, CA. I probably don’t have to tell you the summer temp differences between SF and Sacramento. But it’s worth pointing out that transpiration rates are quite a bit lower at 70F and cloudy during SF’s summer vs sunny and 95F in Sacramento!

7A5818F0-5535-4F05-BC2E-DE9B9EADF970.jpeg
 

Coppersdad

Mame
Messages
163
Reaction score
274
Location
near Seattle, WA
USDA Zone
8a
Are you referring to HBR/half bare root repotting?
Have not heard of the term "HBR". However the comments concerning transferring soil microbes to the new pot make a lot of sense and are a good argument to retain old soil in the new pot. Probably any little disturbance of the roots is a stress and the closer one comes to the most major change possible in the root ball, the closer the tree gets to too much stress.
I was thinking originally, of the "emergency"re-pot that might need to happen on a day of stress, like hot dry weather/shattered pot and maybe a broken root ball.
I'm sure our weather here is much more forgiving than the some of the places many of you live. Still, I learned the hard way what days to avoid re-potting, even junipers.
!!!"most major change"!!! Great use of English!
 

Mike Hennigan

Chumono
Messages
955
Reaction score
1,580
Location
Ithaca, NY
USDA Zone
5b
If anything the pot might be too large, to my eye, aesthetically speaking. Take the shape of the pot into account as well. In my opinion the tree would look much better in a round pot. If it was mine I would probably pot it into a round pot that is slightly deeper than the current pot but smaller in width.
 
Top Bottom