ive got to figure this out by spring next year...repot, root work, and hardcut?? potted and in-ground strategies

[hinmo24t]

i have a handful of trees ive put together to bonsai in future, letting them all grow naturally this summer
and through the winter (i know which ones to bring inside, basement, or garage i have, and some south facing windows which i have for morning light/first half of day) with plans on working a lot of these in the next spring (could be a lot of work, 10ish trees)

potted ones i was planning on repotting to work the roots, and make hardcuts in the spring (acer, dogwood, naval orange, bougainvillea, hibiscus, etc.)
a lot of these were bought as mid size nursery stock, and letting them grow now)

if they do well this summer and through the winter, then show some form of life come late winter/early spring, is it okay to get these root pruned and in smaller bonsai pots, as well as hardcut them all, in the boston 7b late march/april?? turning them into sticks with few leaves/buds only?
OR should they only be repotted/root work and minor pruning to keep them a bit under control only?

then, i have (3) buried-inground field maples (3" diameter up to 2.5' tall, regrowing strongly now, i hardcut in the springtime, and a lilac clump growing nicely now, and (3) 1" thick 1' tall field maples (sugar or norway) responding well to hardcuts as well. should all these be potted in the fall, or once again in the spring, and can those deal with hardcuts as well as the root work and repot? those last two smaller field maple i must admit i hardcut and put them in different ground spot early spring, and they have shown good new growth the last month after a 2 month delay. the larger in grounds have been where they were 15' tall earlier in spring.


trying to nail down whether it is always just one or the other, roots/repot or hardcuts in the spring or fall...

they threw me off with my $40 bougainvillea in a 10' pot the other day, said it was just repotted recently or in the spring and put a little rootbag within the 10" pot. i was told to leave that be until next spring. i havent seen the root bags like it before but figure it decomposes or the new roots just work right through it.


sorry for the novel!

-Tom

 

[Shibui]

All the maples I have worked with can cope with both root and top pruning in the same season or at the same time. Lilac should also manage that provided they are healthy and strong.
I don't grow many of the other species but I tend to repot and prune sub tropicals like those rater later in the growing season when they are a bit more active. Many resent being worked when it is still cold. If you can keep them warm and active you can work on them earlier I think.
There are several different root bags. Natural fibres are just to hold the roots while the tree grows and will decay but there are also polyester root control bags which are being used to allow trees to grow while keeping the main root system contained. Fine roots can grow through the material but get constricted as they thicken and eventually the bit outside the bag dies off while more roots are growing through. The outside roots gather more resources so the tree grows faster than in a similar size pot but after the tree has grown it can easily be dug up. When the bag is removed there is a well established, dense root mass with no circling roots. Trees can be left in those bags for several years at a time.
You will need to work out what sort of bag your bougie is in though for all intents it does not matter. If it is still there when your tree is ready just cut it off the roots.

 

[sorce]

trying to nail down whether it is always just one or the other, roots/repot or hardcuts in the spring or fall.

It depends on the species.

I have become a firm believer in boxwood needs both or they die. But in summer.

Junipers no top cut. Summer.

Pines no top cut and few roots. Not much experience. Summer also.

Spruce no top cut. Summer.

Finally got around to an elm recently and that balance.....so far...for me....is keeping more roots to provide than there is leaves and / or quickly gonna grow back leaves, to transpire. This means you can't leave a thousand buds that will soon grow, only the proper nexts' 2. Summer.

I think you must specify your definition of "fall".

Anything that needs a severe top pruning can't really be done in fall, since there won't be enough time to grow top and roots before winter.

Fall for me is this week. And the one around the next full moon. And the next.

It just sounds more edgy to call it summer!

Sorce

 

[Cadillactaste]

Tropical up north for me, get repotted in summer, when night temps are leveled out at 65F.

 

[hinmo24t]

thanks for the info everyone. fall in boston area is mid september-ish.

ultimately it sounds like i can wait until the springtime (April and May) for repotting (root work too) and hard cuts/pruning
to everything i have, except my tropicals (hibiscus, boug, and citrus) i should aim for later spring or early summer, May/June so they have a bit more pep at that time.

as of now i think i will plan on that unless i hear otherwise, and at least that does give me a good few mos to sort out all of them
and get them underway as bonsai. i think the lilac i was concerned about making it thru the winter without digging up and all the work, as it is a clump or dual trunk hardcut, but the only action on it is a small trunk off one of the dual trunks that has a new leader. maybe by the end of the warm season here itll be a lot more vigorous and ill leave that in the ground as well.

thanks again

-t

 

[hinmo24t]

Heres some pictures of the lilac and in ground maple. I sawed off the knuckle of the maple in pic a bit ago amd its still doing its thing. Lilac in second pic