On living in a zone that is always spring

[DarkSceptor]

Several years ago I moved to Medellin, Colombia. If you do not know this, we are called the City of Eternal Spring. My yearlong dress is a T-shirt and jeans. My home has two "courtyards" or "patios" which is to say they are wells open up to the sky two stories high. My trees are in the large courtyard between the two bedrooms and they love it there. So my trees get pure sun, rain when it rains, and sometimes a little wind. And my trees are growing abundantly! But what I'd like to know is this: Are there knowledgeable people living in a similar equatorial location that knows how to determine best times for repotting, for hard pruning, etc. All of the things the tutorials assign to spring and fall.

 

[HorseloverFat]

Absolutely...

That's what I'd call a "Stable Tropical Climate" Or Rainforest Climate... Termed by Koppen as "Af"

Here is a Koppen Map (read the legend to find (Af)... Then find all those Af's on the map.





Others tropical climates will vary slightly.. but not enough to make MUCH of a difference.

Here's a link to weather Spark's compare climate tool... I filled in your city, and several others around the globe.. you can add/remove locations as you see fit.

Compare the August Weather in Medellín, Honolulu, São Paulo, Balikpapan, and Orlando - Weather Spark

weatherspark.com

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I friend of mine worked in Colombia, she told me there's a wet season and a dry season. But I'm not sure if that's the case for Medellin. If it is the case, I'd expect "summer" to be the center of the dry season and "winter" to be the center of the wet season.

 

[Paradox]

Even in the tropics there is a seasonal rhythm to the trees.
My BRT get brought inside in October and they dont go back out until June.
They sit under lights that keep them quite warm when the lights are on.
As far as I know they came from cuttings and were never out in the "wild" since BRT are protected in their native range.
They do have a 1-2 month period when their growth slows down. Typically this is February - March.

 

[Shibui]

Are there knowledgeable people living in a similar equatorial location that knows how to determine best times for repotting, for hard pruning, etc. All of the things the tutorials assign to spring and fall.

This may depend more on the species you are growing than the location.
Down here we've found that Australian natives and most tropicals don't like root pruning /repotting in the cooler months. They recover far better when repotted in warmer months. I repot those when they are actively growing in late spring through to mid summer but I've had discussion with other really experienced growers in warmer areas who repot Aussie natives any time of year without any adverse effects.

Sub-tropical growers further north in Australia found that Chinese elm never goes dormant or drops leaves so they were worried about when to repot. Eventually someone decided to try different times and found that Chinese elm in warm areas can be repotted any time of year. Now the northern Australian growers repot Chinese elm whenever it needs it and they have time and supplies handy.

Hopefully some other tropical bonsai growers will see this and help. Otherwise don't get too caught up with timing based on cooler climates and try some different timing for yourself.

 

[SgtPilko]

Bienvenido parcero! You can probably find some local folk with knowledge if you haven't already - a quick google search brought up a few instagram accts, viveros and whatnot. Should be a good climate for lots of species, year round growing etc. Good luck!