Question on slip potting already repotted maple

[Rob_phillips]

Hi all i have a quick question i have a maple that i had a pot made for by walsall ceramics uk.
but i made a mistake and oversized the pot in width and lenth and i also asked for it too be to shallow also.
As soon as I realised this last year I reordered another commision and they told me it would take the best part of a year to make the new pot.

I took this tree to greenwood bonsai uk in late Feb when i took my larch to be repotted and re styled.
I also took the pot oversized with me and corrin agrees that in the long run it was not the right fit size wise.
But as the tree needed repotting this year, and we had the pot there and it has a shallow enough rootball we could repot it there and then and then in 2019 i could put it in the new correct sizes pot.
So we did even though it was slightly early in the season, but i have a unheated greenhouse to protect it untill normal spring weather appears.
Then last week I had an email from Walsall ceramics saying they felt sorry for me so they have rushed it through and made me the new pot.

Its arrived and a much better size.
Now the question is can i slip pot this tree into the new pot as the root work has already been done or should i wait till next spring now.
The tree is just at the point where normally i would repot as the buds have just started to swell.
I dont want to cause the tree harm but at the same time slip potting it would mean i would not need to touch it again for a few years and not disturb the roots again next year.
So what shall I do people sorry for the long boring post.

 

[Vin]

I'll assume you're talking about a Japanese Maple. Since it's not pushing leaves already a careful slip pot should be fine. If it is pushing leaves a much more careful slip pot would be in order. Just try to keep as much of the soil as possible undisturbed.

 

[Rob_phillips]

I'll assume you're talking about a Japanese Maple. Since it's not pushing leaves already a careful slip pot should be fine. If it is pushing leaves a much more careful slip pot would be in order. Just try to keep as much of the soil as possible undisturbed.

Yeah sorry it is a japanese maple acer palmatum.

 

[Adair M]

It won’t be a “slip pot”, but you’ll probably be ok if it’s just beginning to bud out. After you have it in the new pot, try not to move it around much, and be sure to secure the rootball in the new pot VERY securely. The least amount of wiggle in the soil damages new rootlets, and keeps them from growing.

 

[Vin]

Yeah sorry it is a japanese maple acer palmatum.

The biggest issue is you don't want to break off too many of the very fine roots that have probably already started to grow.

 

[Rob_phillips]

thank you all very much for the advice i will have a look into it properly tomorrow.
I will keep you informed and take some pics in the better light.

 

[Rob_phillips]

Well I bit the bullet today so to speak.
I went ahead and put it into its new pot and in my opinion it was a success.
I started by removing as much of the top soil as i could by tipping it upside down.
Then as soon is i cut the old wire securing it into the pot and gently lifted the tree all the rootball and soil closest to the rootball lifted up so it was straight forward to just add fresh soil around the rootball and secure it into its 2nd new home of the year.
I had to perform this in the kitchen though as the weather in Blighty is as normal pissing it down so as soon as the sun comes out i will take a pic for you all.
Thanks again for the help.

 

[Rob_phillips]

Hi all this is a pic of the maple in his new home where he still seems to be doing fine.
This tree had a bad year last year and really suffered so im going to let it regain alot of strength this year.

 

[Rob_phillips]

This is a couple of pics of the tree in his oversized and too shallow pot its the only pics I can find of it in there.

 

[Rob_phillips]

Hi all this tree as predicted after last year's troubles of this tree getting scorched and losing its leaves very early in the year like this.


This tree has started very slowly this year and has not really pushed on past its initial spring growth.
But to be honest after this years repot and the fact that it did not build up as much energy as it should have last fall before dormancy due to it getting scorched im not suprised.
Bit should i be worried.

Here is the tree today I have it in a wind and sun shelter to give it some more protection this year.
But as you can see this year's growth emerged very compact and tight together and it has had no running shoots or any real growth past a few nodes.
Also the foliage also looks a bit different this year to last year too.
Is it because it has not got the energy just yet and it may pick up after a few months this year.
I dont think i Should i fertilize it as normal as the foliage it has is healthy and hardening off bit its not pushing any shoots out just yet but i have placed some biogold on it at a reduced ratio and i will leave it for a long time instead of regular applications.

 

[Rob_phillips]

Here is a pic from the same sort of time last year can you see the difference

 

[Vin]

Full sun vs shade cloth. If you could arrange it to have full sun in the morning for a few hours and then shade cloth protected in the afternoon you will probably see a difference.

 

[Rob_phillips]

It does have about 1 to 2 hours of full sun early on i agree though this tree needs to build up energy