Natal Plum plums

[Michael P]

Very helpful discussion as I plan work on mine.

 

[Mayank]

Ok here's the trimmed version. Now I'll wait for a new canopy and then some light wiring to make pads look pretty and it should be good to go!

 

[Forsoothe!]

Well done, looks nice!

 

[Mayank]

Very helpful discussion as I plan work on mine.

Let's see some recent pics. It's really pretty from what I remember you posting on page one of this thread!

 

[Michael P]

Thank you! One of my New Year's resolutions was to take more photos of my bonsai.

 

[Michael P]

While the experts are assembled, please give me some advice. My tree needs to be repotted this year, and also needs moderate pruning. The pruning isn't a complete restyle, but I want to make the tree more compact and encourage ramification. So, should I repot first, then prune? Or the reverse? The tree was moved outside about two weeks ago, and it just coming out of winter doldrums.

 

[Mayank]

While the experts are assembled, please give me some advice. My tree needs to be repotted this year, and also needs moderate pruning. The pruning isn't a complete restyle, but I want to make the tree more compact and encourage ramification. So, should I repot first, then prune? Or the reverse? The tree was moved outside about two weeks ago, and it just coming out of winter doldrums.

NOT an expert. However, all my tropicals that needed repotting were just repotted this week. I was planning to defoliate two of them (willow leaf and schefflera) but now I am going to wait until they recover from the repot. The third one (ficus of some sort, whatever was on top of my ginseng ficus before I lopped the "ginseng" off) needed some pruning and I did that and repotted right after. Keeping my fingers crossed.
I figured that if I'm going to take 30 % of the roots off (give or take) with the repotting, I could get away with reducing the canopy by a similar % age cause with less roots to support the canopy, some of it could start dying off and I wanted to be the one that decides which part would be gone and didn't want to leave it to the tree's discretion.

 

[Forsoothe!]

Six of one, half dozen of the other. I like to repot when the tree is actively growing the strongest, and after the first flush is hardened off, and without trimming the top at all. I think that gives the tree the most food producing capacity when the roots need it the most as it replaces the roots removed in the repotting. Just don't let it suffer drought. I do not do major work on the canopy and the roots in the same year. If it doesn't need repotting, it can replace major reductions in the canopy better when it has the whole root system in place. So you can do it either way, just not both at the same time. Others will have other routines.

 

[Mayank]

Sorry @Carol 83 still using your thread!
The defoliated natal plum is popping new growth out already. I'll post more pics in a week or so. Wonder how it's going to look then.

 

[Carol 83]

Sorry @Carol 83 still using your thread!
The defoliated natal plum is popping new growth out already. I'll post more pics in a week or so. Wonder how it's going to look then.

No worries at all. Why did you decide to defoliate, do you think it's beneficial? Mine is wanting to go outside, it's getting pissy. Hopefully it can go out in the next couple of weeks, maybe defoliating might jumpstart some new growth.

 

[Mayank]

No worries at all. Why did you decide to defoliate, do you think it's beneficial? Mine is wanting to go outside, it's getting pissy. Hopefully it can go out in the next couple of weeks, maybe defoliating might jumpstart some new growth.

Check out the string of posts in this thread from # 45 onwards.

 

[Carol 83]

Check out the string of posts in this thread from # 45 onwards.

Sorry, all this social isolation is affecting my brain. Or maybe it's the alcohol.....