Pre-Bonsai Starters - Move to larger pot or leave alone?

[meda4]

Hey all,

I am new to bonsai and am thinking about grabbing a few pre-bonsai trees, namely trident maple, black pine, to get comfortable with watering and feeding them properly. I read that it is not a good idea to repot trees in the summer but was wonder if just simply moving them to a larger pot with more soil during summer is a good idea or not. I would not be doing any root pruning, just simply giving them a bit more room than the very small black plastic nursery pots they would come in. Would this be reasonable or is it better to wait til next spring?

Thanks for any advice!

 

[19Mateo83]

Best bet is to wait.

 

[19Mateo83]

Also…. Welcome to the nut house!!

 

[meda4]

Thanks for the advice! Been lurking around the forums for some time now and figured it was time to give growing a tree or two a shot

 

[penumbra]

As to simple up-potting, I do a ton of it this time of the year. You will get a lot of root growth between now and the beginning of cold weather. I also believe it is a bit more insulation for the roots. You will find that all commercial nurseries are busy up-potting now.
This speaks only to up-potting to grow a plant out, and not to a plant in stages of refinement.

 

[meda4]

Ok cool. I would certainly be just up-potting and not disturbing the roots as much as possible. Also interesting about the insulation for the roots as there are occasionally pretty cold snaps here in zone 5 so that may be of help as well!

 

[Paradox]

@meda4
Please put your location on your profile.
Bonsai advice is often based on location so listing it will help us help you without having to ask you repeatedly where you are.

 

[meda4]

Thanks for the reminder, went ahead and did so. I am in zone 5b if that has any bearing on anyone's opinion!

 

[crookedwoodbonsai]

Welcome to crazy! I'd avoid repotting anything right now, it's very hot and best to avoid any possible stressors when you're preparing for fall/winter

 

[penumbra]

Re-potting in summer heat is not a stressor unless major root work is done. Again this applies to growing plants on and not plants in further stages of bonsai development. It is actually quite the opposite and it most cases better than replanting in the fall period when there is less chance for major root development prior to cold weather. It will not do any harm waiting until late winter or very early spring, but that is up to you. As I said earlier, all major growers are re-potting now. I do have over 40 years vested in the nursery industry, and 60 years in horticulture altogether.
I have been re-potting like crazy the past several weeks and have much still to do before autumn. Just like the last year and the year before for decades now. This is my final comment on this matter as I have too much re-potting to do and that takes precedence.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Re-potting in summer heat is not a stressor unless major root work is done. Again this applies to growing plants on and not plants in further stages of bonsai development. It is actually quite the opposite and it most cases better than replanting in the fall period when there is less chance for major root development prior to cold weather. It will not do any harm waiting until late winter or very early spring, but that is up to you. As I said earlier, all major growers are re-potting now. I do have over 40 years vested in the nursery industry, and 60 years in horticulture altogether.
I have been re-potting like crazy the past several weeks and have much still to do before autumn. Just like the last year and the year before for decades now. This is my final comment on this matter as I have too much re-potting to do and that takes precedence.

I think it matters a lot how the roots look. If the soil is organic and you move them to organic, that's fine. Make sure it's dry so that chunks don't tear the roots off.
If the soil is inorganic bonsai soil, and the plants roots have barely filled the pot, uppotting can be risky. Because it'll fall apart as if it's a bare root.
If the soil is inorganic bonsai soil and the roots have filled the pot, holding everything together, it's pretty safe.

 

[meda4]

Thanks all for the responses. I think I will start small and try to uppot one and keep it out of the sun/heat/wind as much as possible for a couple weeks to see how it works out. Since it's pre-bonsai starters, I suppose I will feel less bad if I do mess it up

 

[penumbra]

OK, now This is my final final word. Of course it does depend on the roots as our friend from the Netherlands says. There is no point in repotting a plant whose roots have not filled the pot. And of course the type of soil mix is pertinent.The type of plant is also very important. There are a few plants I don't work on in summer or fall, such as beech. The trident maple and black pine would be fine with a late summer repotting if:

If you are making major changes to the soil mix, as in a change from a growers mix to a bonsai mix, yes, wait 'till late winter / early spring.
If the root system has not yet filled the pot sufficiently to hold the root ball together, likewise put off repotting. The plant doesn't yet need it.
If the plants root mass is too tight, as it seriously pot-bound, the roots need work and repotting late winter or early spring would be safer for a novice.

I repotted about 30 plants since my prior post.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Welcome Aboard Bonsai Nut!

I totally concur with @penumbra We do a lot of up-potting of these species between now and the end of September out here. Actually I’ve got a number to do next week.

Match the media.

Later in the year find a safe place out of the wind, but in the rain/snow, and huddle all the pots together. Aube toss some medium mulch atop of them.

Good luck

Cheers
DSD sends