Japanese maple repotting - Buds

[hotpeon]

Hello,

First post here.

I am eager to repot my tree into its bonsai pot but I have never done it before and I am wondering if I can do it when buds look like the one in the picture:



I waited for the buds to look swollen but they remained the same - I noticed that they all started to pop - is it a good time to repot in the next week or should I wait longer?

Sorry for the quality, I tried to upscale it but this is the best I can get - The buds are cracking and it looks like the tree has woken up.

Thank you very much!

 

[Colorado]

Looks like you’re right in the repotting window, as long as you can protect from any upcoming freezes. You could even wait for the buds to open a bit more than that and still be fine. Personally I like to wait for the first couple of the buds to open a bit for the “perfect” time but there is a fairly wide window of time for repotting.

 

[Shibui]

Hard to give good advice when there's no indication of what part of the world you live in. There's a place in personal profile for location for a very good reason. It helps us work out when is a good time for you in your area.
I gather that in cooler climates timing may be more critical. In my area any time from mid winter through to leaves almost fully open is OK for maples. Don't be fooled into thinking timing is so critical that you must pick the correct day. Repotting windows are way wider than many armchair experts allow for.
Assuming you are going into spring now and provide the tree doesn't freeze solid after repot you should be good to go now. If you repot and it does turn real cold (more than just light frost) bring the tree under cover for the night and it will be fine.
Repotting can be very daunting for first timers but it is not such a big deal really.