Ulmus Jacquelin Hillier - Would You Repot Now?

[Kodama]

So I couldn't resist picking up this Dwarf Elm from a roadside nursery but had to quickly treat a minor case of scale with some oil spray after scraping them off.
Otherwise looks really healthy and totally rootbound. Looking to repot asap. Would it be safe to do so now or wait till spring? Should I bare root carefully?
Maybe removing 1/3 of the roots but leave some of the old soil and then backfill with standard bonsai mix. I've searched the forums and sounds like I could get away with it if I take it easy?

 

[Walter Pall]

If you want to kill it repot it now! You need to do a real lot of reading still.

 

[ConorDash]

Repot in Spring, as is the usual instruction.

Just keep up with watering needs.. I remember reading in a book, of an author's experience with a person and their tree. They were caring for it, for something like 10-20 years, without repoting, but they had to dunk it in a bucket of water everyday, once or twice (this is an old myth of bonsai, the practice of dunking, but could be used in certain circumstances). The tree was completely healthy, each year.
The author eventually took on the tree and saw how terribly pot bound it was, and obviously sorted it out. The person did not know what to do, and so they kept watering it in this fashion.

The point is, seemingly, no matter how bad the situation, you can still keep a tree healthy by catering to its needs properly. You can just make those needs easier on yourself but maintaining in certain ways.
I'm sure this can wait till Spring , as Walter says, bad time for repoting now.

 

[John P.]

There should be no need to repot that now.

 

[Kodama]

Indeed I still have a tremendous amount to learn. Thank you for nudging me back to the rules. So glad I asked. I need to stop reading posts where the rules are being bent and thinking I could get away with it. Im still a white belt and have no business thinking to try black belt techniques. I will slow down, research more and then research more. I realize now I need to NOT look for answers that fit what I want but instead what the tree needs. Anyway. Thank you for the advice. Much appreciated!

 

[AlainK]

If you want to kill it repot it now! You need to do a real lot of reading still.

I don't agree at all :

J. H. elms are very resilient, they can be repoted, root-pruned almost any time. Walter is wrong, he must have mistaken JH elm with another species, or never had a JH elm.

 

[penumbra]

I don't agree at all :

J. H. elms are very resilient, they can be repoted, root-pruned almost any time. Walter is wrong, he must have mistaken JH elm with another species, or never had a JH elm.

I would agree that a JH elm can handle it but still think it a bad idea for a newbee.

 

[AlainK]

still think it a bad idea for a newbee.

Newbies have to learn. They can learn that it is safe to repot a JH elm now, as long as you take good care of it. It's pretty easy actually.

Anyway, I've never seen any "good" JH elm bonsai so far, so what can you lose?...

 

[Forsoothe!]

The leaf looks like a Zelkova, not JHE.

 

[Kodama]

Ok.. glad to see that it is at least possible if this is really a JHE as was named on the tag. Here is a pic of the leaves for reference. Soo now I'm not sure if I should attempt it or not. It wasn't a big investment and willing to learn but I heed advice given and do not want to be reckless.

 

[penumbra]

Ok.. glad to see that it is at least possible if this is really a JHE as was named on the tag. Here is a pic of the leaves for reference. Soo now I'm not sure if I should attempt it or not. It wasn't a big investment and willing to learn but I heed advice given and do not want to be reckless.

It is a J H elm. Leaves look like mine. Zelkova is different.

 

[penumbra]

Newbies have to learn. They can learn that it is safe to repot a JH elm now, as long as you take good care of it. It's pretty easy actually.

Anyway, I've never seen any "good" JH elm bonsai so far, so what can you lose?...

Ignore all of the above. It is like throwing a child in the water to see if it can swim. Aside from that it is clear from this response that the poster has very little regard for your tree. Also consider that the poster is in France with a zone of 9A, nearly tropical, whereas you are in zone 5B. This is very bad advice for you on all counts.

 

[Forrestford]

my 2 cents... let it grow this summer and bare root it in the spring. If anything, you can reduce the main trunk now it should back bud nicely. But if I were you, I would air layer so then you have 2-3 trees to pay with

 

[Sno]

720385

Newbies have to learn. They can learn that it is safe to repot a JH elm now, as long as you take good care of it. It's pretty easy actually.

Anyway, I've never seen any "good" JH elm bonsai so far, so what can you lose?...

Walter Pall has a nice one .

Jacqueline Hillier Elm

bonkers beat Cool! You should totally style them exactly the Same! Nuts! Sorce

www.bonsainut.com

 

[TN_Jim]

this thread has some meat on its bones

don’t repot now, try to root some cuttings if bored (?), then you can watch some of it die and still have the cake

 

[M. Frary]

Ok.. glad to see that it is at least possible if this is really a JHE as was named on the tag. Here is a pic of the leaves for reference. Soo now I'm not sure if I should attempt it or not. It wasn't a big investment and willing to learn but I heed advice given and do not want to be reckless.

Listen to Walter.
And me.
Don't do it.
Everything in it's proper time.
Elms are tough.
But not that tough.
Even the toughest elm on the planet,the Siberian elm isn't this tough.

 

[M. Frary]

Pall has a nice one

Not touching this.
No matter how much it screams for it.

 

[Trenthany]

Not touching this.
No matter how much it screams for it.

He might like it if you touched it though...

 

[Kodama]

Too funny..lol..Walter's JHE is amazing and inspiring! I'm learning that same species may require different care for different zones. I will definitely wait till spring for the repot and will ponder trunk cuts or air layering. Decisions..Decisions. Thank you all for your guidance.

 

[AlainK]

JHE is amazing and inspiring!

I've just given one of mine to a friend. Style : "Odd" (the turning plate is 30 cm, a bit less than a foot). She liked it a lot and wanted to display it for the next Chinese New Year festival :