Just repotted 3 of my trees.... suppose I need to be easy with water and fertilizer

[bonsaiboy60077]

Just repotted my Chinese Elm, one of my Brazilian Raintrees and my Trident Maple. I supposed I need to be gentle with watering and fertilizing them for awhile, like maybe a couple of weeks or so. Looking for suggestions. Awaiting a pot and more soil, it seems to be a much better deal to buy the soil on amazon than at the local garden center. got 5 quarts for the same price i bought one bag at my local garden center for earlier today.

 

[LuZiKui]

Yeah I usually try to wait about a month before hitting with any fertilizer, but make sure they don't dry out!

That surprises me that Amazon can be that much cheaper than your local garden center, but hey, I always joke we'll all be working for Amazon soon.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

When I repot I wait until I see new growth then start the ferts again.

 

[bonsaiboy60077]

Sounds good to me

 

[Paradox]

FYI. It is a tad early to repot Brazilian rain trees. Its a tropical and therefore get repotted later than temperate trees.
I usually repot mine end of June, beginning of July. Do not put it outside until temperatures are reliably above 50 degrees around the clock with no chance of it dropping below that. Mine go out mid June-early July where I am. You might be a tad earlier.

 

[Shibui]

My repots get light fert from week 1. Does not seem to do them any harm but trees can survive for a few weeks without added fert so no problem holding off if you are worried.
Should be no real difference in water requirement of Chinese elm and trident as they should still be dormant and not using water. Be careful not to overcompensate and let the soil get dry. New roots developing down there do need some moisture to survive.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

It still needs water after repotting, so keep it moist, as Shibui said, roots need moisture and it will start making new roots long before it leaves-out. As for fertilizer, you can fertilize right after repotting, it does not hurt them, but since it is not actively growing (except for topicals), it is not needed. I usually mix some osmocoat in with my soil while repotting. Keep in mind that trees and plants make their own food through photosynthesis, fertilizers are only supplements, kinda like vitamins.

For deciduous, I usually don't fertilize much until after the first flush is fully extended. If you give them a lot of ferts before, you will end up with extremely long internodes.

 

[bonsaiboy60077]

The elm and trident just started showing signs of life. Must have got warm enough in the garage to start them waking up with the week and a half in the 60’s

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Everything I repot spends an hour in a tub of water before going on a shelf.
"Loads" the pumice for an initial start.
Lifting it out of the water gets rid of any fines I missed.

 

[Paradox]

Everything I repot gets a thorough rinse under the "shower" setting on my hose nozzle until the water coming out of the bottom is clear of any fines and then another 30 seconds to be sure. New soil is usually very dry so it needs to be given a good rinse.

 

[bonsaiboy60077]

I put them in a bucket for about 30 minutes each since the new soil was in fact dry