podocarps root pruning season?

[susieq14114]

I have grown quite a few tropicals over the last 40 years but never played with podocarpus. I wasn't even sure if it was a tropical or not. I have been reading some posts on BN and it appears that they are tropical. So, my question is, do I go by the same season guide for these, as I do for my fig and Barbados Cherries, etc...?

I have a one gallon plant with multiple trunks that may be multiple separate plants or all joined to one base. I have picked out a trunk that I want to work with and even chopped it and pinched it, to get a decent taper going on, during the Summer growing season. I was just repotting one of my junipers today and wanted to also work on the podocarpus but held off, to make sure it was ok to work on it now. After googling and then coming here, I'm glad I didn't start on it first. I would appreciate input from anyone who works with this material. Thank you

 

[Wilson]

I have one that sounds very similar to yours, and I just reported with no ill effects. As a matter of fact it is growing strong. I am no specialist on these, but mine seems pretty resilient. Good luck!

 

[susieq14114]

Thank you for the reply, Wilson. If you can do that in your location, I should be ok on the Gulf Coast of Florida.... I'm going to be doing the initial root work and put it into a shallow grow pot. If there are separate plants, instead of one base, I'll just do minimal root trimming on those and pot them into small grow pots...otherwise, do away with those other trunks. Thanks again.

 

[Wilson]

Mine seems to be all one trunk when I dug down the soil line, keeping it a clump for now! Share some photos of the transition from clump, to single tree. Hopefully some other folks can share their wisdom on these trees!

 

[Steve Kudela]

Hey susieq, I'm in sw ga about 60 miles north of Tallahassee. Have been growing podocarpus a long time,........my tree is just over 91 yo. Now is the time for root pruning and repotting. They are very tough trees and can take a lot of abuse. When mine came up out of the hedge, it was completely barerooted, I never gave it an icecubes chance, lo and behold, 26 years later it's still with me. Hope this helps........SK

 

[susieq14114]

Thanks so much, Steve. I'm going to go ahead and work on it today. I have grown bonsai for over 40 years but never worked with this very common landscape plant as bonsai. I used to work in a couple of landscape nurseries, decades ago. One had been hired to completely re do a yard that had huge, old podocarpus growing in them and those had to be removed. The nursery brought them back to the yard and asked me to try to save them so they could be styled as topiary, later on. This was in August! ugh. I worked on one for several hours, removing leaves and getting it planted again. Lots of TLC. I was part time and stayed to finish the one. The afternoon girl arrived and I told her exactly what to do....and went home. The afternoon girl was kind of a prissy thing....she usually sat in the office, filing her fingernails and chatting on the phone and I think that's exactly what she did, after I left. The one I worked on, lived and thrived. The other one, not so much. I would love to have one of those thing back, now.

 

[Steve Kudela]

One other thing that I thought of........I've never treated mine as a tropical, maybe it is, I don't know. Mine stays out in the weather all year long, can't tell you how many times that the thing has frozen solid. doesn't hurt 'em. Up north maybe a different story, in your area shouldn't be an issue.

 

[petegreg]

USDA 8a-10b, subtropical? In your climates they they should feel themselves at home. In my 6a it needs a winter protection done in a cold room.

 

[susieq14114]

Hi again, Steve, yes, they are major landscaping material down here. They're everywhere in peoples yards. No protection needed for the occasional freeze or frost that we have....especially on the coast. I never considered them to be tropical but was surprised to read on line, that they are sub-tropical. I just wanted to check with people who had worked with them for bonsai, before going ahead with the root work in Jan. Petegreg, we are zone 9 here. Thanks.

 

[Petebak]

Old video but might be some help!

 

[milehigh_7]

I have a little 'Maki' that's sitting around and I have not known how to start. I'm glad this thread came up. It's in pretty rough shape it's sort of a stray I picked up.

 

[susieq14114]

Old video but might be some help!

I really enjoyed this video...thank you for posting it. I did learn a couple things about podocarpus that will come in handy.

 

[sorce]

I was wiring a tree yesterday, and stuck my thumbnail into the tree.
I got to thinking about how I probly have longer nails than any of the ladies here...
So who to ask on how to deal with it?
Boon?

Anyway, then I read this....

The afternoon girl was kind of a prissy thing....she usually sat in the office, filing her fingernails and chatting on the phone

Fully confirming my thoughts that we have the greatest type of women on this site....

The ones that won't fall over and die in the face of disaster!

Shout out to all the Bonsai Nut women folk!
Stay Awesome!

Sorce