Root bound bonsai in summer-What to do?

[A. Gorilla]

Panic.

 

[a1dusty]

Bl

Panic.

Bless you don’t panic , just straight transplant

 

[Paradox]

I was told by the expert in Fl that it should go in a larger pot for now and then be repotted in winter. I knew deciduous trees get repotted in winter here in Florida. Am going to make some notes and ask him about some of the suggestions/opinions offered here and see what he says. Doesn't mean someone else is right and someone else is wrong...It's another opinion.

He also offered to help me repot my BRT now. I didn't know that summer was the time to repot them in Florida so am glad he offered. I think the BRT came from the same person and so it's probably root bound and needs to be repotted too.

Thank you again.

BRT are tropical and summer is the best time to repot them along with ficus

 

[Wood]

@Brian You said that trees slow transpiration rates when it's really hot. That is counterintuitive. Does anyone know why? Is this the tree trying to retain water based on their own internal 'intelligence' or something else? Do you agree that I should aerate the root ball with something sharp?

My impression was that photosynthetic chemical reactions become less efficient over 90 F, so the tree doesn't use as much water

"Rootbound" is typically a root/soil mass so impacted that water can't penetrate it, hence the advice to perforate it with a chopstick and fill those new holes with fresh soil. That process helped one of my kishu that had an incredibly compacted root ball

 

[Paradox]

You said that trees slow transpiration rates when it's really hot. That is counterintuitive. Does anyone know why? Is this the tree trying to retain water based on their own internal 'intelligence' or something else? Do you agree that I should aerate the root ball with something sharp?

The trees slow transpiration to conserve water because they don't know when its going to rain next so they shut it down to keep the water in their tissues as much as possible.
I also agree that you can aerate the root ball with a screwdriver or similar to help with drainage and getting water penetration into the root ball until you can get to the proper time to repot.
This is common practice in bonsai.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

You asked for this?

Effects of temperature on photosynthesis - Encyclopedia of the Environment

Plants are regularly subjected to strong temperature variations. Do these variations have an impact on photosynthesis?

www.encyclopedie-environnement.org

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[LeftHandLuke]

seriously?

Seriously. Do you have a problem with logic?

 

[Carol 83]

BRT are tropical and summer is the best time to repot them along with ficus

I repotted a terribly rootbound BRT a couple of weeks ago, it's very happy now.

 

[Katie0317]

I slip potted the trident this morning and there were no black roots. I was really happy to see that.

Thought I had the right pot for it but when I pulled the tree out I realized I needed a bigger pot. Had to go shopping in search of one and was lucky to find one. I was gone for a few hours and and the tree was in the shade and inside the pot with no soil. It wasn't my intent but the roots seemed to dry out a pretty good bit during that time. It was soaked when I pulled it out.

Not sure I did it exactly right but it looked right, felt right and I think it will be fine until winter when I'll repot.

I learned a lot from this. About transpiration during the heat, that it's actually okay to poke a rootball if slip potting is not an option and mostly that slip potting was an option. Thank you.

@Paradox, I recently learned that in Florida BRT's are repotted in summer. I hadn't known that. I'll share why when I find out.

 

[Ming dynasty]

Repotting now would be a mistake and an unnecessary risk. There is a right season for all work and you‘ll be more successful if you stick to it.

Watch soil moisture as you are and water when it’s getting dry. The days it rains in the afternoon for 15 minutes is probably enough for the day and not too much to drown the roots. Trees slow transpiration rates when it’s really hot, so they consume less water. It’s counterintuitive but true.

What you really need is a few more trees to fuss over so you aren’t loving this one to death.

Absolutely can love a tree to death or close to it. Great advice, not too many consider this an option

 

[Paradox]

.

I recently learned that in Florida BRT's are repotted in summer. I hadn't known that. I'll share why when I find out.

I am in NY and we repot BRT in summer as well.
Pretty much everyone repots BRT in summer.

The reason BRT and other tropicals are repotted in summer (as opposed to spring time for most trees) is because it is when they are actively growing and recovery is faster/better for them then.

 

[Katie0317]

I am in NY and we repot BRT in summer as well.
Pretty much everyone repots BRT in summer.

The reason BRT and other tropicals are repotted in summer (as opposed to spring time for most trees) is because it is when they are actively growing and recovery is faster/better for them then.

I've seem them repotted in spring, so I didn't realize they're repotted in summer too.

Talked with a bonsai shop owner today and he repots anything year-round. I know other nursery owners in this part of the state who don't adhere to strict repotting guidelines. We don't have much of a winter so that may be the reason.

As far as loving a tree to death...Orchid and rose people will all tell you the same thing. I've heard that expression for years applied to those plants. I've seen far more plants die from neglect though. The same is true of relationships. But I agree that you can love a plant to death. Spraying, then fertilizing, then pruning, then repotting...All to try and save or fix something that doesn't need really need to be fixed.

With a rose or orchid you can find more nurseries who know about them which isn't true for bonsai so a newcomer is dependent on the internet for help. BN is a good source but there are plenty of poor ones.

 

[Coppersdad]

I'm willing to concede that Central FL is a bit different than where I'm at, but I would caution against full-on repotting a trident now. Particularly one that's shown any sign of weakness. I'd make sure the drainage holes are clear, then penetrate the rootball as mentioned above. Limp thru the rest of this year and give it a proper repot next spring.

(I've heard of folks repotting trident in early Summer, but it involves defoliating the tree. With any other option on the table, its not something I'd recommend.)

Making sure the drainage holes are clear is my first thought.
My second would be to use the trick mentioned of probing the root ball from the soil surface with a sharp object. I keep a dull Ice pick in the tool bag for that purpose. Enlarging the hole made with the probe is a good idea. Just be careful of the number of times and the force you use. After all we don't want to injure the roots.

 

[Katie0317]

Making sure the drainage holes are clear is my first thought.
My second would be to use the trick mentioned of probing the root ball from the soil surface with a sharp object. I keep a dull Ice pick in the tool bag for that purpose. Enlarging the hole made with the probe is a good idea. Just be careful of the number of times and the force you use. After all we don't want to injure the roots.

I don't need to do that since I slip potted it today.

 

[0soyoung]

The reason BRT and other tropicals are repotted in summer (as opposed to spring time for most trees) is because it is when they are actively growing and recovery is faster/better for them then.

I'll dispute a bit of this -just the part that it is only 'tropicals'..
All tropicals have a thick cuticle/waxy leaf that means water loss is effectively controlled by the leaf stomata.
New spring growth (foliage) is highly productive (both carbohydrate and auxin production).
When there is no extension growth, water demands (root support) are low. This means they have a high capacity for root (re-)growth
Many, many species are identical in this sense*, and can be repotted now or sometime during the summer (a couple of weeks after the summer solstice through at least the time of the subsequent equinox).
Tropicals are just species with no capacity to survive freezing temperatures, though there may be other distinguishing characteristics such as CAM/C4 photosynthesis (as opposed to C3) that are not pertinent to root growth capacity.



*single flush pines, spruce (picea), fir (abies), pseudotsuga, tsuga, thuja, chamaecyparis, cedar (cedrus), podocarpus, box (buxus), azalea, rhododendron, chaenomeles, ulmus, zelkova, quercus suber (if not all quercus), rose, camellia, cotoneaster, pyracantha, ilex, and probably more .

 

[Paradox]

I'll dispute a bit of this -just the part that it is only 'tropicals'..
All tropicals have a thick cuticle/waxy leaf that means water loss is effectively controlled by the leaf stomata.
New spring growth (foliage) is highly productive (both carbohydrate and auxin production).
When there is no extension growth, water demands (root support) are low. This means they have a high capacity for root (re-)growth
Many, many species are identical in this sense*, and can be repotted now or sometime during the summer (a couple of weeks after the summer solstice through at least the time of the subsequent equinox).
Tropicals are just species with no capacity to survive freezing temperatures, though there may be other distinguishing characteristics such as CAM/C4 photosynthesis (as opposed to C3) that are not pertinent to root growth capacity.



*single flush pines, spruce (picea), fir (abies), pseudotsuga, tsuga, thuja, chamaecyparis, cedar (cedrus), podocarpus, box (buxus), azalea, rhododendron, chaenomeles, ulmus, zelkova, quercus suber (if not all quercus), rose, camellia, cotoneaster, pyracantha, ilex, and probably more .

I figure there is a reason that bonsaists have been advocating and practicing spring repotting for most trees for 1000s of years.

I will repot my tropicals in summer. I will never do so with any of the other species listed during the summer. My experience with repotting those on that list that I own in summer, in my location usually results in dead trees with the exception of mugo which can survive but never do as well as those repotted in spring.

If others want to do it ( or live in an area with milder summers such as the Pacific Northwest) and commit to the greater attention to aftercare it requires, thier choice. I work 5 days a week and don't have the facilities nor the time to babysit a summer repotted tree and keep them misted constantly to give them the best chance at surviving.

 

[Corrado]

So I dont think you mentioned if the leaves were reacting to this situation in any way. IF they werent and the roots were so tightly rootbound that water cannot penetrate the soil and sits on top of the root mass then there are tricks you can do to get around this. You can drill holes and re water till it drains out better. OR you can submerge the pot in a basin for say 20 minutes so the root ball gets fully watered. You can ride along like this thru summer till dormancy. I would also put it in more shade for less stress. Then is spring do your diligence with root pruning and thinning . Another thing you can do if you have confidence is to take it out of the pot and tease out the outer roots with some minimum damage and repot with some fresh soil and submerge it in water . The fact that it is so rootbound with hardly any soil I think I wouldnt worry about it not getting enough aeration.It needs to drink.

 

[Katie0317]

I was told by a leading bonsai expert to put it in the shade...A godsend that came into my life. "Put it in the shade. 50 miles south of here these trees won't grow.' I did that after I slip-potted it and it looks like a new plant or like it did when I bought it. It's happy, happy.

So it did need to be root potted so it could drink but it needed to be put in shade also.

 

[Corrado]

Glad you found the solution !!