New Greenmound juniper

[L. Gayler]

I just bought a Greenmound juniper at the local Lowes store. It came in a 2.5 gallon pot. I cut down the pot so that I could see the inside of the tree. It seems to have a decent trunk, but is so overgrown that I can't see the roots. The soil looks pretty crappy and it was bone dry. I watered it but the pot doesn't seem to have drain holes.
Should I go ahead and repot it or should I wait until winter's over? Also should I try to trim it up or wait on that too? I live in zone 8b. Right now we're having cool nights and warm days. Usually our 1st freeze is around December or January. One pic shows part of the inside that is split.
Any and all advice is appreciated. Thank you for taking time to help me.

 

[jk_lewis]

If the pot has no drainage (I've never seen an HD plant in a pot without drainage), you MUST repot now. It's easiest to find a larger pot and simply slip pot it, though it is distinctly possible to repot into a smaller pot at this time of year.

 

[L. Gayler]

pot drains

I did manage to find 2small holes in the bottom of the pot.. But when I watered it nothing came thru, and I used a quarter gallon of water.
So could I slip pot it so I can look at the roots? Thanks for your reply.

 

[bonsaibp]

You can definitely slip pot it- but I'd probably do a real repotting and reduce the root ball as well.