Should I repot?

[Stassney]

6 days ago I was at Lowe's to get some potting soil and couldn't resist the price of their "bonsai" trees. I got a fukien tea. I know everyone hates them but I couldn't resist for only $20 and I previously had one for 1 year that did well until I moved. I live sort of close to Houston, TX, zone 8b I think, and the lows here are still pretty stable around 65-70°. The tree is in great shape and has begun to flower. I keep it outside and it gets full sun for around 4-5ish hours. The dilemma I have now is should I repot it? The soil (if you can call it that) it's in holds a bunch of moisture and is super compacted. Also any soil recommendations? I've found a few after looking through some other fukien tea threads but am worried about if they hold enough moisture since the fukien's like it slightly moist.

 

[MSU JBoots]

Spring is generally the best time to repot most trees. If you’re particularly worried about the current soil then you might be ok to do it now. Generally most like some sore if inorganic soil but for the deciduous trees in a warmer climate you likely will want some sort of organic like pine bark in the mix to help hold more moisture.

 

[Mikecheck123]

Absolutely not. Fukien teas are notorious for hating repotting. It's the easiest way to kill it.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Also does pot have drainage hole/holes?

 

[dbonsaiw]

I'd skip the repot and wait till next spring. I have yet to have a tree that suffered badly from being too wet in potting soil. You will need to water less than in bonsai soil, but it should be fine until next spring. On the other hand, most of the trees that I killed were because I felt the need to repot at this time of year. Don't do it.

 

[penumbra]

My take on Fukien Tea is a bit different than most. I did manage to kill one once, but only because the potting mix was too fine and it never dried out. Of course no water has the same fatal effect so achieving balance with watering is crucial. I think a standard bonsai mix with some pine bark is appropriate. I am a bit concerned about the mix yours came in and I would repot it now or soon into a well draining mix. Unlike temperate zoned trees, tropicals should be repotted in the summer during active growth. Many claim that roots on these are sensitive so try to retain most of them. I would not remove more than 20-25% of the longest roots to play it safe. Once repotted into good bonsai mix, it should be good for a few years. I actually have 2 small ones that need repotting now. Most of my tropicals were repotted in July and August, but I am still working on a few. The one below is in a free draining bonsai mix and was repotted last 3 years ago. It has been under artificial light for 3 years now.
They tend to sometimes be a little untidy because you always have a few leaves yellowing and dropping as young leaves come it. Spent flowers are also a bit untidy.

 

[Stassney]

Thank you for all the replies! I think I am going to wait to repot it. After watching it for a few days, I've noticed the soil will start to dry out after a day or 2. I think it might be fine as long as I continue to water in moderation. Also the pot does have a drainage hole so no worries there.