Repotting 2019 Lets show naked bottoms

[dirk hoorelbeke]

Yes, its that time of year again. When the witch hazel blooms and some early birds start to show there feathers...


... its time to be prepared...


having the bags of akadama and bims (pumice) sifted and graded, some pots ready, ... fingers start to itch to dig down in the soil and find whatever nature created. Due to time constraints i was limited last year to only do the necessary repottings. Now time is still limited but we can catch sleep later...

Purpose of this thread is threefold. It's a documentation for myself to scroll back to whenever i forget what is in the pot and to be able to look when i repotted a certain tree. I also like reading and viewing repottings from others so i pick some tips and tricks down the road. I hope someone out-there loves repotting as much as i do so the third thing i want with this post is create some joy.

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

Step 1: find tree

step 2: find and wire pot

Step 3: prepare clips for the mesh. (They are easier to work with than the butterfly method. Easier to re-use, compact storage, less wire needed, less wire in the pot so more room for growing medium)

Step 4: bend legs to match the pot-hole.


step 5: place mesh and clip from inside, loose the loose ends

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

Put drainage layer in pot

Take tree out of pot. Smell and look at the roots. Are they happy? Different species have a different smell. When rotted you will notice and question yourself if you need to adjust watering habits or use other medium.


Dig down from above and make sure you see the nebari. This way you know where you need to stop if you get carried away cutting from the bottom.

remove excess roots from below, this way you 'climb up'. When to stop depends on the species, health of the tree and what your goal is.

Cut the bottom flat, cut half of an inch or an inch from the sides to remove turning roots. Start to even out the nebari. Remove roots that are too high.


Inspect result. Flat bottom, enough roots to survive, cut back to ramify and allow new soil.

Check pot

Depending on the goal you can cut back further and / or shoehorn it in the pot, or find a bigger pot.

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

In this case i took the original pot. Prepare with drainage layer.

Put the medium in the pot in the middle on a pile...

Place and turn the tree in.

Where you want the roots depends on the species and the goal. Remember roots will not grow when they dry out often. They will not grow when they are soggy all the time. Post of the time a finger of soil above the roots is good. Depending on you soilmix and top cover. The more you leave on top of it the more roots will emerge higher than the desired nebari.

Wire the tree firmly. After the obvious soil medium this is the most important part. I used the 5 wire trick from @markyscott (i think, i'm not sure and i don't find the nice tutorial)


Fill the rest with medium and work it in.

water

until clear

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

For smaller trees or trees with the nebari high in the pot, or when you want to create optimal conditions to form roots, covering with sphagnum is a nice solution.
Rub the moss trough the biggest sieve, soak it in water so it doesn't fly around.

Top-dress with a fine layer.

Select next tree

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

Potentilla before



hand for scale

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

Spirea

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

Chaenomeles


I found this little buggers. I had seen some last year but not in this amount. Otiorhynchus sulcatus (or Black Vine weevil). I know they are around because i saw lots of them when i sowed my grass years ago. Since then i planted a hedge of Taxus to be sure they stay around . I have some trees that are slowing down and i think this buggers might be one of the causes. I will use Steinernema Kraussei in a few months so i hope it works...

If someone knows a better solution i would be happy to hear.

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

Favorite tree (prunus incisa kojou no mai) of my oldest daughter. She helped with trimming, wiring and repotting for a few years now. I hope the tree will reward us with nice flowers once again this year.

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

Acer palmatum little princess

You know its time when the pot falls apart

cleaned

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

Tilia (new from another enthousiast, 20y old from seed) First repot so it's like opening a Christmas present.

Same drill, other proportions

Happy

 

[Carol 83]

Favorite tree (prunus incisa kojou no mai) of my oldest daughter. She helped with trimming, wiring and repotting for a few years now. I hope the tree will reward us with nice flowers once again this year.
View attachment 229067
View attachment 229066

You better give your other daughter a tree, she looks pissed.

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

acer palmatum little princess

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

You better give your other daughter a tree, she looks pissed.

No, she just looks like her mom
She has an apple tree. Girls and flowers...

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

Acer buergerianum straight as an arrow to have a scarless lower trunk for a broom-like tree in a distant future.

Full of roots

Forgot about that chunk of wood (good thing i took pictures this time)

Cleaning roots



On the board again

This tree does grow rather slow for a buergerianum. Stopped messing with the roots last year but still not the most happy tree. This stalling is something i noticed with other trees on a board as well. Might be coincidence. I've put the tree on pure akadama now. The other mix was used last repot because i ran out of the good stuff on a repotting day.

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

Acer palmatum





Notice scars from last wires.

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

acer palmatum



Other palmatum

 

[moke]

Nice trees, great thread thanks for sharing Dirk. Threads like this get me excited for spring.

 

[Carol 83]

No, she just looks like her mom
She has an apple tree. Girls and flowers...

Almost all of my trees are flowering, and I'm a girl, so I like her already! And I'm pretty sure if you ask my husband, he's seen me with that same look she has on her face.

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

acer palmatum