Itoigawa juniper repot?

Grovic

Mame
Messages
237
Reaction score
283
Location
Bloomfield Hills, MI
USDA Zone
6a
Hey guys,

I just got this Itoigawa juniper prebonsai from internationalbonsai.com. I plan to let it grow for a few years, but the nursery pot has to go, I live in an apartment so growing in the ground is not an option, so I have a some questions:

A) Should I do root work and repot into a new container?
Or
B) Should I slip pot into a slightly larger pot?
Or
C) Slip pot into a same size container?

The soil it currently has is a mix of lava rocks, charcoal, pine bark and a couple other rocks that I don't recognize, maybe pumice.
The thing is that I don't have this mix available, I have perlite, pine bark, super hard akadama (the kind that is fired and you wouldn't be able to crush with your hands) and kiryuzuna.
 

Grovic

Mame
Messages
237
Reaction score
283
Location
Bloomfield Hills, MI
USDA Zone
6a
For some reason the pictures didn't upload in the initial post.
Edit: I can't upload pics, maybe it's my phone, I'll try later in my laptop.
 

Grovic

Mame
Messages
237
Reaction score
283
Location
Bloomfield Hills, MI
USDA Zone
6a
Choose a container that is suitable for grow out. I would suggest a move to a 10 inch diameter with a four or five inch depth.
Repot to improve root arrangement and begin grow out!
Thanks! Hey, another noob question, should I completely bare-root it?
 

River's Edge

Masterpiece
Messages
4,708
Reaction score
12,608
Location
Vancouver Island, British Columbia
USDA Zone
8b
Thanks! Hey, another noob question, should I completely bare-root it?
That would not be my advice. Here is where it depends on what you find as you explore the existing roots and the existing substrate.
I would check the nebari and spread out if needed, only cutting strong downward roots that are too long for depth of next container. Your primary goal is to grow out, so retaining root health is a priority. As a beginner it would be best to get assistance with an experienced person if possible, remember that you can improve things in stages and keep the plant real healthy between stages.
 

leatherback

The Treedeemer
Messages
13,934
Reaction score
26,864
Location
Northern Germany
USDA Zone
7
THe size container it is in is hard to judge from your picture. If you feel you want to swap containers, go ahead. Take a size fit for purpose. Junipers do not need a lot of legroom.

Is this how you bought the tree? It has way too many dead sections in there for my liking. I am not sure you should accept that. There clearly is, or was, an issue with the tree.
 

ShimpakuBonsai

Chumono
Messages
515
Reaction score
713
Location
Netherlands - Europe
USDA Zone
8B
The soil doesn't seem to be bad for a juniper but the tree itself doesn't look very healthy either.
I would not repot the tree at this moment and let it gain some figor again until next spring and repot next year.
 

Grovic

Mame
Messages
237
Reaction score
283
Location
Bloomfield Hills, MI
USDA Zone
6a
That would not be my advice. Here is where it depends on what you find as you explore the existing roots and the existing substrate.
I would check the nebari and spread out if needed, only cutting strong downward roots that are too long for depth of next container. Your primary goal is to grow out, so retaining root health is a priority. As a beginner it would be best to get assistance with an experienced person if possible, remember that you can improve things in stages and keep the plant real healthy between stages.
Thanks, I don't think I know anyone who could assist with that, I tried to join a local club last year, but desisted due to the pandemic. I'll try to keep the roots as intact as possible while removing downward-growing ones.
 

Grovic

Mame
Messages
237
Reaction score
283
Location
Bloomfield Hills, MI
USDA Zone
6a
THe size container it is in is hard to judge from your picture
I'd say it is a one gallon pot 6.5" diameter x 7" height. For the repot, I have one that is just about the size @River's Edge recommended.
Is this how you bought the tree?
Yeah, just arrived during the week, and I've watered it just fine. Do you think it will fill in those empty spaces?
 

Grovic

Mame
Messages
237
Reaction score
283
Location
Bloomfield Hills, MI
USDA Zone
6a
Why does the nursery pot “have to go”?
I live in an apartment, so the plants are in the balcony. I already have two 5-gallon plants thet are in nursery containers, so anything else that comes in has to be in a better looking container, it doesn't have to be a bonsai pot, but definitely not a black nursery pot. A white ceramic pot that has the same size and shape as the nursery pot would be OK if that's what's recommended.
 

River's Edge

Masterpiece
Messages
4,708
Reaction score
12,608
Location
Vancouver Island, British Columbia
USDA Zone
8b
I live in an apartment, so the plants are in the balcony. I already have two 5-gallon plants thet are in nursery containers, so anything else that comes in has to be in a better looking container, it doesn't have to be a bonsai pot, but definitely not a black nursery pot. A white ceramic pot that has the same size and shape as the nursery pot would be OK if that's what's recommended.
Bonsai has a focus on the health of the tree. Changing containers should be based on what is best for the tree. If you just received the tree, you should check to see if a larger container is needed before switching. Growth is better if not interrupted frequently. Plant health can change dramatically if re potted too frequently or not allowed time to adjust to new location and climatic conditions. The over riding decision should not be based solely on the colour of the pot.
 

Grovic

Mame
Messages
237
Reaction score
283
Location
Bloomfield Hills, MI
USDA Zone
6a
Bonsai has a focus on the health of the tree. Changing containers should be based on what is best for the tree. If you just received the tree, you should check to see if a larger container is needed before switching. Growth is better if not interrupted frequently. Plant health can change dramatically if re potted too frequently or not allowed time to adjust to new location and climatic conditions. The over riding decision should not be based solely on the colour of the pot.
I understand that the health of the tree comes first, I could even throw the tree and the nursery pot inside a slightly larger pot.
 

Grovic

Mame
Messages
237
Reaction score
283
Location
Bloomfield Hills, MI
USDA Zone
6a
The soil doesn't seem to be bad for a juniper but the tree itself doesn't look very healthy either.
I would not repot the tree at this moment and let it gain some figor again until next spring and repot next year.
Yeah, but if it isn't healthy something has to change, otherwise it will not improve, I'm not saying that it is the soil or the container, but I don't think it is the watering either.
 

Grovic

Mame
Messages
237
Reaction score
283
Location
Bloomfield Hills, MI
USDA Zone
6a
The soil doesn't seem to be bad for a juniper but the tree itself doesn't look very healthy either.
I would not repot the tree at this moment and let it gain some figor again until next spring and repot next year.
Maybe it is its winter form? It came from NY and it seems like the nursery is in USDA zone 6a, some trees haven't leafed out here in the Detroit area (6b).
 

Shogun610

Masterpiece
Messages
3,615
Reaction score
6,220
Location
Lehigh Valley Pennsylvania
USDA Zone
6B
Hey guys,

I just got this Itoigawa juniper prebonsai from internationalbonsai.com. I plan to let it grow for a few years, but the nursery pot has to go, I live in an apartment so growing in the ground is not an option, so I have a some questions:

A) Should I do root work and repot into a new container?
Or
B) Should I slip pot into a slightly larger pot?
Or
C) Slip pot into a same size container?

The soil it currently has is a mix of lava rocks, charcoal, pine bark and a couple other rocks that I don't recognize, maybe pumice.
The thing is that I don't have this mix available, I have perlite, pine bark, super hard akadama (the kind that is fired and you wouldn't be able to crush with your hands) and kiryuzuna.
No , don’t repot. The mix that Mr Valavanis has the juniper in is exactly what it needs. Just fertilize with natural fertilizer to supplement the organic components. The acidity the soil has is key. If you repotted with Akadama etc that you have,it would retain too much water, and you’d be destroying the beneficial fungus in the pot. Never bare root conifers, they rely on mycorrhizae i the soil. Place it on the deck to get as much sun as possible. Junipers sound like a easy first bonsai but believe me, they are not, as nothing is easy. You should get it on the sun and just let grow with some feed. Next year repot into a larger grow box is what I’d do. I’ve had so much trouble with Junipers that now I’m finally starting to understand.
 

Grovic

Mame
Messages
237
Reaction score
283
Location
Bloomfield Hills, MI
USDA Zone
6a
No , don’t repot. The mix that Mr Valavanis has the juniper in is exactly what it needs. Just fertilize with natural fertilizer to supplement the organic components. The acidity the soil has is key. If you repotted with Akadama etc that you have,it would retain too much water, and you’d be destroying the beneficial fungus in the pot. Never bare root conifers, they rely on mycorrhizae i the soil. Place it on the deck to get as much sun as possible. Junipers sound like a easy first bonsai but believe me, they are not, as nothing is easy. You should get it on the sun and just let grow with some feed. Next year repot into a larger grow box is what I’d do. I’ve had so much trouble with Junipers that now I’m finally starting to understand.
Thanks, seems like the common advise is to not repot, then I'll just throw it in a larger ceramic pot without removing the nursery pot and next year I'll repot. This is not my first bonsai though, I have a ficus I got from a local nursery two years ago, a trident maple I got last year from Evergreen garden works that I'm just letting grow and several seedlings and cuttings, I'm still a newbie but at least I think I have the watering figured out, lol.
 

LeonardB

Shohin
Messages
367
Reaction score
316
Thanks, seems like the common advise is to not repot, then I'll just throw it in a larger ceramic pot without removing the nursery pot and next year I'll repot. This is not my first bonsai though, I have a ficus I got from a local nursery two years ago, a trident maple I got last year from Evergreen garden works that I'm just letting grow and several seedlings and cuttings, I'm still a newbie but at least I think I have the watering figured out, lol.
You could leave it alone for a couple of years while it regains vigor. And leave all the branches ( especially the larger ones) until a later date to help the main trunk gain girth.
 
Top Bottom