New Shimpaku

[tnaz71]

Picked this up last weekend at a local nursery. It was marked for $50 so grabbed it up. I haven't done anything to it yet. Seems pretty healthy, I tried to pull it out of the pot to check the roots but it won't budge. It seems to have been in there for a while, so I will repot when its ideal.

What are your thoughts?

 

[armetisius]

lovely tree

 

[edprocoat]

Tnaz, it may be wired into the pot. If you look underneath the pot and see wire coming out a hole, not holding screen, it probably was wired into the pot to keep it from being blown out.

ed

 

[goosetown]

You found a wired/potted/trained bonsai at a local nursery?????

 

[Eric Group]

You found a wired/potted/trained bonsai at a local nursery?????

I figured he meant a Bonsai nursery.. They don't sell 'em looking like this where I am shopping!

 

[tnaz71]

It was wired into the pot and I removed the wire but still wouldn't budge I didn't want to try too hard to remove it. I will wait till I'm ready to repot, the soil is very hard and compact, not sure if it's too late to do it here? I usually repot in February. And yeah it's a local Bonsai nursey (house of bonsai) in Lakewood ca. I usually try to go out every couple months to drool.

 

[Vance Wood]

It's a nice tree with lots of wonderful possibilities. However; the tree looks a bit pale and is in bad need of some decent care, especially fertilizer. I am concerned that in not recognizing the fact that the tree is wired in the pot (you can actually see the wire in the photo) that your skill level may be challenged in attempting to deal with this tree without killing it. It really is a nice tree and worthy of a chance to survive.

After looking at the second picture in the sequence it appeas that the tree may also have a touch of red spider mite infestation. If that is so you need to do something about it soon.

 

[tnaz71]

Thanks Vance and everyone else for your input.

Now, I know my skills are not great but, one thing that has been misunderstood is that I was aware it was wired into the pot before I brought it home. I removed the wires after got I home and I snapped a few pictures of it before I did anything. I assumed the color of the foliage was maybe from needing a repot because the soil was akadama but was very degraded, so I removed the wire holding it in to see if I would be lucky and it would pop right out. The top of the soil was very loose but under is rock hard.

I have several junipers and other bonsai so I checked for bugs because I want to avoid them infecting my other trees. I didn't see any but that doesn't mean anything, I so went ahead and sprayed it just incase.


So with that said, would it be wise to repot now in my area? Like I said I usually repot earlier than now. I don't know if leaving it in concrete for another year would be ideal or just take the chance and repot.

Thanks

Tim

 

[goosetown]

Oh man, OK, I was going to drop everything and move to where you live if that's being offered at a regular local nursery

It was wired into the pot and I removed the wire but still wouldn't budge I didn't want to try too hard to remove it. I will wait till I'm ready to repot, the soil is very hard and compact, not sure if it's too late to do it here? I usually repot in February. And yeah it's a local Bonsai nursey (house of bonsai) in Lakewood ca. I usually try to go out every couple months to drool.

 

[goosetown]

I just repotted an Itoigawa from Gary at Chikugo-En in Torrance two weeks ago; I was curious myself if it was too late in the season, and he told me it was fine to go ahead. I would assume you're still OK, although it is supposed to get into the 90s next week down here.

That in mind, with the color of the tree as it is, you'd be wise to get info from a few of the more seasoned vets around here - don't want to be hasty and take the chance that it's perhaps too weak to survive a transplant. Good luck!

Thanks Vance and everyone else for your input.

Now, I know my skills are not great but, one thing that has been misunderstood is that I was aware it was wired into the pot before I brought it home. I removed the wires after got I home and I snapped a few pictures of it before I did anything. I assumed the color of the foliage was maybe from needing a repot because the soil was akadama but was very degraded, so I removed the wire holding it in to see if I would be lucky and it would pop right out. The top of the soil was very loose but under is rock hard.

I have several junipers and other bonsai so I checked for bugs because I want to avoid them infecting my other trees. I didn't see any but that doesn't mean anything, I so went ahead and sprayed it just incase.


So with that said, would it be wise to repot now in my area? Like I said I usually repot earlier than now. I don't know if leaving it in concrete for another year would be ideal or just take the chance and repot.

Thanks

Tim

 

[Eric Group]

It was wired into the pot and I removed the wire but still wouldn't budge I didn't want to try too hard to remove it. I will wait till I'm ready to repot, the soil is very hard and compact, not sure if it's too late to do it here? I usually repot in February. And yeah it's a local Bonsai nursey (house of bonsai) in Lakewood ca. I usually try to go out every couple months to drool.

A lot of Bonsai pots have a pretty big lip inside the pot and you need to coax the tree out with a little leverage... Without breaking the pot of course. If you really want to take it out the pot- don't do this unless you are ready to repot the tree and that may not be wise right now if it isn't totally healthy- get a spade with a sharp edge or even a knife (I use a couple cheap ones solely for plants because cutting roots and dirt can mess up a blade!) and go around the inside edge of the pot, lightly trimming the root ball. If there is a lip, that is the easiest/ pretty much the only way to remove the tree. Try not to pull on the trunk real hard when getting the tree out of there. You can pull loose some major roots sometimes tugging on a trunk! What I try to do usually is poke a chop stick or something like that up through the drain hole to push the tree up and out of the pot. If It is a real heavy root ball I carry it with my hands under the roots instead of holding the tree by the trunk. Carrying/ pulling on a trunk that way can not only damage roots, but damage the bark of some species, break branches rub off new growth... Better just not to do it.

 

[jkd2572]

Nice find for $50. At least slip pot it into something fast draining until next spring. The color is very bad. If it's not dead it's very unhealthy.

 

[tnaz71]

Pulled it out this morning. Lots of roots, mostly alive. I washed some of the concrete off and put it in a pond basket. I will let it grow this year and hopefully get healthy.

 

[quietobserver]

Pulled it out this morning. Lots of roots, mostly alive. I washed some of the concrete off and put it in a pond basket. I will let it grow this year and hopefully get healthy.

Nice tree. I don't have the horticultural knowledge of many around here, but was waiting for someone to suggest a pond basket or anderson flat for awhile to get it healthy again.

 

[KennedyMarx]

It does look a little pale, but the roots look good. Could be lack of iron or another trace element causing the yellowing? Putting it in the pond basket sounds like a great idea. Keep us updated.

 

[quietobserver]

Tnaz, it may be wired into the pot. If you look underneath the pot and see wire coming out a hole, not holding screen, it probably was wired into the pot to keep it from being blown out.

ed

Hats off to you for mentioning and wording this in such a kind and refreshing manner. Pretty sure tnaz71 knew to check for wire based on follow up posts, but it wasn't evident initially. Regrettably there are many who seem to gain enjoyment from poking fun of newbies and or those with basic horticultural questions; more than likely part of why bonsai is and stays a small cottage industry in the US.

Agree with KennedyMarx, possibly too many years of cheap nursery chemicals & fert. Throw some green dream, bio-gold, jobes organic, etc. on it in its new home...

 

[Vance Wood]

Thanks Vance and everyone else for your input.

Now, I know my skills are not great but, one thing that has been misunderstood is that I was aware it was wired into the pot before I brought it home. I removed the wires after got I home and I snapped a few pictures of it before I did anything. I assumed the color of the foliage was maybe from needing a repot because the soil was akadama but was very degraded, so I removed the wire holding it in to see if I would be lucky and it would pop right out. The top of the soil was very loose but under is rock hard.

I have several junipers and other bonsai so I checked for bugs because I want to avoid them infecting my other trees. I didn't see any but that doesn't mean anything, I so went ahead and sprayed it just incase.


So with that said, would it be wise to repot now in my area? Like I said I usually repot earlier than now. I don't know if leaving it in concrete for another year would be ideal or just take the chance and repot.

Thanks

Tim

It would seem that someone who seldom shows up on this site has chimed in.

I do not think you have taken anything badly however you did write this in the beginning:

Picked this up last weekend at a local nursery. It was marked for $50 so grabbed it up. I haven't done anything to it yet. Seems pretty healthy, I tried to pull it out of the pot to check the roots but it won't budge. It seems to have been in there for a while, so I will repot when its ideal.

 

[Vance Wood]

Hats off to you for mentioning and wording this in such a kind and refreshing manner. Pretty sure tnaz71 knew to check for wire based on follow up posts, but it wasn't evident initially. Regrettably there are many who seem to gain enjoyment from poking fun of newbies and or those with basic horticultural questions; more than likely part of why bonsai is and stays a small cottage industry in the US.

Agree with KennedyMarx, possibly too many years of cheap nursery chemicals & fert. Throw some green dream, bio-gold, jobes organic, etc. on it in its new home...

And then there are those who stand around in a crowd waiting for a fight to break out and blind side somebody in the middle of the fray. While trying to take the moral high ground contributing nothing substantive as they once again creep into the shadows.

 

[Eric Group]

That was a big ole brick of roots! Might have just been a bit stressed from being pot bound... That could be your explanation of the flat color right there.

 

[october]

There are a few reasons for yellowing/paleness on sections. Shimpaku shed their foliage sometimes once a season. However, I don't think this is shedding. Next, if the tree was stuck under or crammed in with other trees and these parts were not exposed to any sun. My last observation would be early spider mite damge. Spider mites wil make sections of the tree pale and then turn gray. I think this could be early on spider mite damage. It is a good thing you sprayed. You might want spray again in a couple/few weeks. If it is mite damage, you are probably going to have to deal with looking at this for a couple of seasons before it starts coming back.

Rob