Digging a short yard spruce?

[Vance Wood]

Vance: What time of year do you normally repot spruce?

I have for years followed the traditional spring regimen; re-pot when the buds start showing a bit of green. However since the encounter I mentioned previously I have started experimenting with mid sumer re-potting. This has been done with Serbian Spruce and I have had no casualties from it. Do I recommend anyone do this? No, do it at your own risk. I want a couple of more years track record before I recommend this procedure. As to after care: All I do is keep them out of full sun, water when needed and mist the foliage, especially when the temperatures are hot. This is the most important factor in summer re-potting, keeping the foliage cool for a week or so. This slows down transpiration and prevents the tree from burning itself out before the roots become active again.

 

[tanlu]

All due respects to Mr. Lewis, let me tell you a story about a Blue Spruce dug from a neighbors yard. This particular tree was removed by the neighbor while I was out of town. The date was late June early July. The tree set out exposed to the elements for at least three days in temperatures in the 90's. The neighbor offered me the tree when I returned, if I wanted it. I rescued the tree, potted it up, pruned some of the excess branches out of the top and put it in partial shade for a year. It survived with out the loss of needles or additional branches. So the question is: Why did this tree survive?

That's good to know. I also have a tendency to bend some of the rules in bonsai care orthodoxy. I root pruned and repotted a JWP in mid Sept a year back and it responded with vigorious growth this past spring.

I recently came back from a 2 day hiking trip and some of the high altitude terrain we went through was spruce yamadori heaven. Unfortunately, it's most likely illegal to collect any of them, but I'll be on the look out for neighbors that are weiry of old, gnarlled trees in their yard.

T

 

[Vance Wood]

That's good to know. I also have a tendency to bend some of the rules in bonsai care orthodoxy. I root pruned and repotted a JWP in mid Sept a year back and it responded with vigorious growth this past spring.

I recently came back from a 2 day hiking trip and some of the high altitude terrain we went through was spruce yamadori heaven. Unfortunately, it's most likely illegal to collect any of them, but I'll be on the look out for neighbors that are weiry of old, gnarlled trees in their yard.

T

Personally I have become a bit of a bonsai Iconoclast or heritic if you prefer, in not necessarily taking as graven in stone many of the things we have been told and taught for many years.

 

[Mystogan]

you should write a book. or atleast compile a list of what makes your way of bonsai different.

Personally I have become a bit of a bonsai Iconoclast or heritic if you prefer, in not necessarily taking as graven in stone many of the things we have been told and taught for many years.