Repotting after care

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Hey everyone, first post here. Been into bonsai for about 3 years now. I’ve killed a hundred trees. Lol no exaggeration, I mean a lot of them were trees I plucked from the back yard at wrong times of the year. But I’ve gotten better!!

Question is, I’ve just repotted all my outdoor deciduous/evergreen trees. Using mostly lava rock and Akadama, with a lot of pine bark in with some. Looks like we have another windy frost coming so I’ve put the freshly potted trees in my garage by a window. Still very cold but not as bad, plus no wind. Was this a good decision or should I put them back outside ready to endure another freezing rain??

Thanks
-Daniel son
 

just.wing.it

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Welcome to the Nut House.

What temp do you expect your garage to drop to?
I'd try to keep them above freezing.

Fill in your profile to show your location so others may provide info suited to your climate zone.....I see STL.....but that could mean anything....
 
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Ok will do.
All my outdoor trees froze during winter, they thawed and I repotted, (maybe a tad to early). I was thinking letting them freeze again after repot could be detrimental.
I think the garage is about 5-10 degrees warmer
 

just.wing.it

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Ok will do.
All my outdoor trees froze during winter, they thawed and I repotted, (maybe a tad to early). I was thinking letting them freeze again after repot could be detrimental.
I think the garage is about 5-10 degrees warmer
Well I think your inclination is correct....in both regards.
Try to keep them above freezing and keep your fingers crossed, good luck with them....
I've learned the hard way before....about repotting too soon....we probably all have, at some point.
Not to say its a death sentence....but you know.
 
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Just checked weather. Gonna get down to 10 degrees in next cpl days. Just checked temp in my garage and it’s the same as outside. Thought it would have been a tad warmer... guess not.

So I have my tropicals in a basement room with a double glass door for light with the addition of a 250w mh bulb with a humidifier and heater to keep around 75 degrees. Do you think my best option would be to just toss them in my warm room and give them a few weeks early spring??
 

just.wing.it

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Oh man.....
Well I think if I was in your position....I'd keep them in the garage and try to insulate the pots as mush as possible....
Blankets....old shirts....bubble wrap.....mulch piles.....anything.

I think taking them into the tropical tree winter area is an option, but that will be a lot to deal with indoors, once they get growing.

Just one man's opinion.
 
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It wouldn’t be for too long, spring is just around the corner. I just repotted 5 trees. And the majority is shohin size. So I have room.

I Have about 10 other outdoor trees that didn’t need a repot so I’m just leaving them outside covered in leaves
 

just.wing.it

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It wouldn’t be for too long, spring is just around the corner. I just repotted 5 trees. And the majority is shohin size. So I have room.

I Have about 10 other outdoor trees that didn’t need a repot so I’m just leaving them outside covered in leaves
If you think you have the ability to keep them indoors, with your tropical trees, I would say that's the best option.
My fear would be watering may be a sitch....and lack of light may possibly be an issue as well.
Otherwise, keeping them as warm as possible is probably good at this point.
 

just.wing.it

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In the future, when it comes to repotting deciduous trees, you really want to wait until the buds are about to open up, or at least swelling, before repotting.

Edit....
I'm sure you will hear I hope other people doing it other ways, but I think what I just told you is the safest way.
 
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Evergreens are best repotted towards end of winter I thought, for some reason I thought the same for all outdoor trees. Live and learn. Went ahead and tossed them in with the tropicals for now. But yeah one thing I didn’t think about either that you pointed out. Junipers like full sun during growing season. I’ll set the junnies closer to the light and set my timer to run longer
 

Acer palNATEum

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In St. Louis we have a bonsai club...meets first Tuesday of every month (Feb-Nov.). Always looking for new members. Come out and meet the group!
 

just.wing.it

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Evergreens are best repotted towards end of winter I thought, for some reason I thought the same for all outdoor trees. Live and learn. Went ahead and tossed them in with the tropicals for now. But yeah one thing I didn’t think about either that you pointed out. Junipers like full sun during growing season. I’ll set the junnies closer to the light and set my timer to run longer
I keep my lights on my trops for 17 hours per day.
 

0soyoung

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Evergreens are best repotted towards end of winter
I don't think so, and I'm a pain in the BNut about it.
I insist that 'after the summer solstice (around August) is a great time to repot just about anything. And, in locales that have unpredictable late spring freezes like yours, it may be far, far better to repot in summer. The tree then has a load of new, highly productive foliage to power root growth and recovery from the repotting damage. It is ezpz with waxy leafed species, but can also be done with unwaxy ones such as Japanese maples.
 
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In St. Louis we have a bonsai club...meets first Tuesday of every month (Feb-Nov.). Always looking for new members. Come out and meet the group!
I was a member a year ago. Couldn’t make any meetings this last year due to job hours changing. Took on some different hours and now have evenings open. Missed the repotting class last month, I was disappointed. I’ll be at the next one for sure though.
 

Tieball

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You should attach some photos of these trees you’re talking about.
 
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I don't think so, and I'm a pain in the BNut about it.
I insist that 'after the summer solstice (around August) is a great time to repot just about anything. And, in locales that have unpredictable late spring freezes like yours, it may be far, far better to repot in summer. The tree then has a load of new, highly productive foliage to power root growth and recovery from the repotting damage. It is ezpz with waxy leafed species, but can also be done with unwaxy ones such as Japanese maples.
I’ve heard of people doing this. Although Feb/March is the norm in STL area. For most deciduous and ever greens. Tropicals in the summer. But like I said I’ve said, I’ve read species like Japanese maples can be repotted/planted late summer
 
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363F8F2F-1BC7-478B-B4D5-1620D51D9083.jpeg363F8F2F-1BC7-478B-B4D5-1620D51D9083.jpegMame style barberryDCD600BD-91A2-490C-ABD6-93B248160766.jpegnot sure what kind of juniper this but it needed a repot. Picked it up from a bonsainut member cpl years back
B58C50DF-7D9F-4E73-9B8B-7AC6338E89BF.jpegi didn't repot this one. Just Wired it. Quad trunk. left top of the trunk was left untouched to let grow and eventually Jin
FC845CC0-C7FB-4A29-9FCB-6D9DC04D48EE.jpegThis is a sweetgum super exposed root shohin size. Definitely didn’t want this one to refreeze!
FDBB51F2-9396-4E00-93B6-DF358D114B1B.jpegBoring jap map. Just needed a repot.

9C23EABE-B1A5-494D-A505-B85002453C73.jpegElm picked up at local club auction recently. Needed a repot bad!

B068D9B5-6BB9-4724-B01E-907E0E4C0700.jpegShohin $8 Lowe’s nursery green mound been working on for a cpl years
 

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