Potting Prep!

[Fridge]

Hi all

I am fairly new to Bonsai and have acquired 3 trees over 2 years which I feel is quite restrained!

I am based in the UK so this potting season in the next month or so I will be needing to re-pot all of these for the first time (for me)

I am thinking of:
Pine - put in to the pot the Juniper is currently in
Juniper - get a new pot
Maple - trim roots, change soil etc but put back in to the pot it is currently in

Does this seem like a good plan to you? Please let me know if you would suggest something alternative. All my bonsai are in development so want them in fairly large pots

Thanks for any help!
Fred

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I wouldn't repot if there are still frosts on the horizon. I'm not all that familiar with UK weather patterns, but just across the pond we usually get some serious frosts around feb-march, so I don't repot until spring.

 

[Paradox]

I agree with switching the pine to a pot similar in size to the Juniper pot.
The juniper could either stay in the same pot or a little bit larger one.

However I do agree with what Wires Guy said. You need to repot at the right time and not every species is repotted at the same time.
You need to repot the pine and the maple when the buds are just starting to swell, so you need to watch your trees and see when that happens.
In my experience this occurs at about the same time but again, you need to watch your trees and do it when they tell you its time.
Junipers are typically repotted a bit later, as they start to show new growth on the tips of the branches.

You will need to protect them from any errant frosts or freezing after they are repotted.

 

[Fridge]

I wouldn't repot if there are still frosts on the horizon. I'm not all that familiar with UK weather patterns, but just across the pond we usually get some serious frosts around feb-march, so I don't repot until spring.

Thanks for the reply, sorry yes I will be repotting at the start of Spring, I think I was wishing the time away saying next month or so!

Would you agree with the potting changes suggested being appropriate for the trees?

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Would I agree with the potting changes? Oof, I don't know. Do they need a repot or is that just something you want to do because there's an itch you can't scratch?
If the latter is the case, I would agree with repotting. If the former is the case, I would too.

But it's good to have your motives in the clear. Most trees can go a loooong time without repotting, so if it isn't needed, sometimes it's better to give them another year. If you only just bought these trees, it might be wise to see how they perform in spring and summer.

 

[Fridge]

I agree with switching the pine to a pot similar in size to the Juniper pot.
The juniper could either stay in the same pot or a little bit larger one.

However I do agree with what Wires Guy said. You need to repot at the right time and not every species is repotted at the same time.
You need to repot the pine and the maple when the buds are just starting to swell, so you need to watch your trees and see when that happens.
In my experience this occurs at about the same time but again, you need to watch your trees and do it when they tell you its time.
Junipers are typically repotted a bit later, as they start to show new growth on the tips of the branches.

You will need to protect them from any errant frosts or freezing after they are repotted.

Thanks, I will take your advice on judging time on the repot by the tree. I think best course of action may be to put Pine in to the Juniper pot and get a slightly larger pot for the Juniper

 

[Fridge]

Would I agree with the potting changes? Oof, I don't know. Do they need a repot or is that just something you want to do because there's an itch you can't scratch?
If the latter is the case, I would agree with repotting. If the former is the case, I would too.

But it's good to have your motives in the clear. Most trees can go a loooong time without repotting, so if it isn't needed, sometimes it's better to give them another year. If you only just bought these trees, it might be wise to see how they perform in spring and summer.

Thanks, probably a combination on the reasoning but very good to question this! The Pine for sure needs a repot as I got this one around 2 years ago and the pot is too small I feel on this one. The Juniper I think also needs a repot as I got this around a year and a half ago and the soil is very compact, difficult to get a chopstick through!

Potentially the Maple I could leave for the year as I got this one last summer and the soil isn't too bad

 

[Mike Corazzi]

I think the maple would be best served in MY pot.

 

[JoeR]

Thats a really nice maple! I would consider removing the bottom left branch on it.

While the juniper doesn't look 'unhealthy', it doesn't look particularly vigorous. If its a shimpaku, it should be growing strong "whips" throughout the growing season, and I dont see any on your tree. Yours has loose foliage with no whips. Repotting a weak tree can be risky, but it depends on *why* the tree is not strong. In this instance you may consider a half bare root repot. Alternatively you can clean out soil from around the edges and repot into something larger. But again, it all depends on what the trees soil conditions are currently like.

The white pine would work well in the juniper pot, and will probably appreciate the extra space to keep the roots cool.

The maple will do fine in the same pot, but your tree is transitioning to the refinement stages, and I believe it to be an appropriate time to get it into a more presentable pot. Cream or blue pot would be a good choice.

 

[JoeR]

Something else to consider:

The maple has an excellent trunk and structure. but the nebari seems lacking as far as I can tell. There are two ways to correct this: root grafts, or a ground layer. Instead of repotting it this season, you could also opt to ground layer the maple. This would improve the nebari considerably, but you can not repot and ground layer in the same year. Only one or the other. Ground layering probably seems drastic and risky to you, but may be worth your time.

 

[PiñonJ]

Why do you need to repot? Is water not percolating through the substrate? If it is, you don’t need to repot. Stylistically, the juniper pot is far too big for the pine. It’s frankly too big for the juniper.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

.

But it's good to have your motives in the clear. Most trees can go a loooong time without repotting, so if it isn't needed, sometimes it's better to give them another year.

I only repot when it is horticulturily DEMANDED !!!

Needs a green pot.....
Used wrong front......
Tilt could be tweaked.....
Too far right.......
Idle afternoon.......
.........And so on..........

 

[colley614]

Hey bud, I'm in the UK also. I found the repotting season is a little later than I was expecting. If I remember correctly I had the end of February in mind but my maples bud didn't swell until a while after.

 

[sorce]

@Fridge can I ask how you came to understand potting season as so soon? I ask because it may be true for you, like it is true for me, that the folks recommending that time, keep trees above 34F for the winter.

I killed trees repotting in spring for about 6 years, then I stopped repotting altogether for a couple years, minus some mid summer pinus, because it just wasn't worth loss after loss.

Last year I repotted a Maple, 4 Elms, my SmokeBush, and a couple junipers of course, in the middle of Summer and I am happy that I may be able to actually start practicing Bonsai after 10 years!

IMO, that maple could use the bottom half of it's roots chopped off and a pot that shallow.

You don't really want larger pots cuz that just puts your good feeder roots into "future cut off" zone. A small basket to air prune roots and keep them close to the trunk is better and not detrimental.

If you can't wait till summer, at least wait till spring!

Sorce

 

[Fridge]

Hi all, thanks so much for the replies. Here is my reasoning for thinking the trees need a repot, please let me know if you think these don’t justify a repot...

Pine - I feel the pot is too small, I also bought this around 2 and a half years ago and haven’t repotted yet

Juniper - Soil is very dense and compact, difficult to get a chopstick through and the water runs right off the top. I got this one around 2 years ago and haven’t repotted yet

Maple - water actually flows through the soil well but I read Maples should be repotted/ root pruned each year. Maybe trying root grafts would be better? I only got this one around 1 year ago

thanks for any help!
Fred