Your Thoughts Please
- Thread starter Lynn E
- Start date
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
Cut back on the water.
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
Amen...
With no root work....
Way wet won't change.
Sorce
With no root work....
Way wet won't change.
Sorce
aml1014
Masterpiece
Totally,
Just water carfully until next spring when you'll be able to do a real repot into some nice draining soil. Putting it in a larger pot, will only allow space for MORE water to sit.
Aaron
Just water carfully until next spring when you'll be able to do a real repot into some nice draining soil. Putting it in a larger pot, will only allow space for MORE water to sit.
Aaron
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
Nursery trees are like this everywhere. They don't want to have to water them every day.
Poke some sort of wooden skewer down intimate the soil. Deep. Let it sit for a while. Pull it out and if it's almost dry water the tree. If it's wet all the way up to the top of the soil wait and check it tomorrow.
When it comes time in the spring we can do some repotting.
Then you get to learn how to water it all over again.
Poke some sort of wooden skewer down intimate the soil. Deep. Let it sit for a while. Pull it out and if it's almost dry water the tree. If it's wet all the way up to the top of the soil wait and check it tomorrow.
When it comes time in the spring we can do some repotting.
Then you get to learn how to water it all over again.
aml1014
Masterpiece
I take slight offense! Lol I'm playing but I water most things twice a day at my work, I've only had one flowering almond dry out a bit to much on me this year. It should say nursery plants are like this "most" places. Lol
Aaron
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
I imagine it's hard to keep plants moist in hell!
Lynn,
Your "plan" has killed hundred of trees!!!
I'm going to assume when you slip pot, the new soil will be good, inorganic bonsai soil?
Even worse!
What will happen when you slip pot: the old root ball will be floating in a new soil mix that drains much, much faster than the old rootball. When you water, the water will run off the old root ball, and into the new soil all around it. The water will find practically no resistance to fall straight to the bottom of the pot, then flow out.
So, your old root ball gets a little water on the top, but the center gets none. The center slowly dries out as the roots use up water water was there. As it does, it changes its nature from being too wet to almost water repellant. Have you ever seen a sponge get so hard and dry that you can put water on it, and the water just beads up? It's like that.
Meanwhile, roots won't grow into the new soil because it's so different than the old soil! There's so much air, roots won't extend into it.
So...
The center dries out, no new root growth into the new soil... Tree dies!
Then people pull the tree out, see there's no new roots in the good soil, and then think that "good bonsai soil" is crap!
No, just incompetent repotting!
Whenever you repot, you MUST tease out little hair roots on the root ball along the sides. About 1/2 inch or so. When we put in the new soil, these hair roots will now be IN the new soil. That is what the chopsticking is supposed to do, get the new soil in contact with the hair roots. Don't do too much, you'll break the hair roots.
Now when you water, water will pass thru the new soil, where there are hair roots, and they will grow into the new soil.
By the way, you DONT tease out hair roots on the bottom the root ball. You don't want toots growing down. Only out the sides.
Paradox
Imperial Masterpiece
Dav4
Drop Branch Murphy
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While spring time is ideal for juniper root work, healthy junipers can be safely re-potted and have some root work done throughout the growing season and won't skip a beat if you're judicious and manage the tree well afterwards, meaning minimize direct sunlight and monitor soil moisture closely until you're sure the tree has continued to grow which means it's producing new roots. If this tree is truly languishing, I wouldn't want to wait until next spring...this is where pictures of the tree and the root zone out of the pot would help. Sodden soil can be washed away with a hose...it will usually fall away anyway when you move it from it's container because no roots would have colonized it. Cutting away rotten roots only, then planting in your most granular, fast draining mix, or even pure sand, would be the way to go. Again, it really depends on the state of the tree ad how the crappy soil is affecting it.
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
Of course, the ideal time for this would be early spring.
I didn't even go into doing a Half Bare Root repot, which is actually what's probably needed.
As Dav4 suggested, if it's really bad, with rotten roots, it's like any emergency surgery, gotta do it now.
My primary purpose of my post is to explain how "slip potting" is often ineffective and often detrimental to your trees.
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
What can I say? I'm a dirty,dirty boy.
Vance Wood
Lord Mugo
Well here is my two cents worth: Around here there seems to be this mantra that you cannot repot Junipers except in the Spring. This is blatantly untrue. You can repot a Juniper anytime of year except when it is frozen solid in winter. That's the first controversy. Here is the second; maybe. If you are watering once every two weeks and the tree is still wet you have a serious soil problem. Either the soil is not draining or the tree is already dead. Either way, you have to get the tree out of most of that soil and into a decent draining soil mix. It probably has a degree of root rot that must be dealt with by removing the dead roots, but not knowing for sure whether your experience has grown enough to recognize this issue it would be best to just repot the tree into a good soil mix with as much of the old soil removed as you can wash off with a garden hose without tearing into the roots. Is it possible for you to post a picture of the tree? The photo does not have to be Ansel Adams quality but it should be understandable as to the color of the tree and the definition of the foliage.
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
I just bought 7 More blue rugs from wally world...
Reckon I'm gonna give em the M.F. treatment.
Thanks Dav, Vance.
Sorce
Reckon I'm gonna give em the M.F. treatment.
Thanks Dav, Vance.
Sorce
Sorry all--I really should have added more info to my initial post. I've had this tree for several months and while it has maintained its healthy bright green color it has produced no real new growth. Pot was aesthetically pleasing but too small IMO. Top of the soil had lots of slimy moss--I was pretty careful with the watering. Really should have re-potted by now.
Pulled out of the pot today. There was almost no soil in the pot. A mat of dry, tan roots at the bottom of shallow root ball. No roots fell off.
Teased out all the roots around the root ball [ about 1/2 inch in to the root ball ] and re-potted in to a mix of pumice, red lava , and small amount of akadama. Really been trying to move to all inorganic to reduce root issues. We seem to have more and more rain in my area.
Vance--no photos--son has my camera. Thanks for your advice and encouragement.
Adair--thanks for your thoughtful and helpful post which I read AFTER my re-pot. Now I'm hyperventilating.
Both the tree and I are now resting in the shade.
Thoughts on how long the tree stays in shade? Full/partial?
Thanks so much for all the responses. Lynn
Pulled out of the pot today. There was almost no soil in the pot. A mat of dry, tan roots at the bottom of shallow root ball. No roots fell off.
Teased out all the roots around the root ball [ about 1/2 inch in to the root ball ] and re-potted in to a mix of pumice, red lava , and small amount of akadama. Really been trying to move to all inorganic to reduce root issues. We seem to have more and more rain in my area.
Vance--no photos--son has my camera. Thanks for your advice and encouragement.
Adair--thanks for your thoughtful and helpful post which I read AFTER my re-pot. Now I'm hyperventilating.
Both the tree and I are now resting in the shade.
Thoughts on how long the tree stays in shade? Full/partial?
Thanks so much for all the responses. Lynn
Vance Wood
Lord Mugo
Till you start seeing new growth, though Kiumura suggest keeping them in full sun during recovery from repotting.
Junipers like sun.
Some shade won't kill it.
Full shade might.
The idea behind good bonsai soil is that it drains so well, you can't overwater it. It just runs through. If you've cut off roots, it has reduced capacity to absorb water. So, it's key that you don't let it dry out right after you repot. Keep the little feeder roots alive with frequent watering. Over time, those roots will grow into the new soil, and the new roots will be able to absorb more water. So, in the future you will be able to water less often.
Some shade won't kill it.
Full shade might.
The idea behind good bonsai soil is that it drains so well, you can't overwater it. It just runs through. If you've cut off roots, it has reduced capacity to absorb water. So, it's key that you don't let it dry out right after you repot. Keep the little feeder roots alive with frequent watering. Over time, those roots will grow into the new soil, and the new roots will be able to absorb more water. So, in the future you will be able to water less often.
Eric Group
Masterpiece
If the roots were a healthy tan color when you pulled it out instead of black, your tree was probably perfectly healthy. Sounds like it was in a Bonsai pot? Yeah, then little/ no growth for a pot bound tree (specially an old Juni) in a small pot is no shocker and probably not a sign of terrible issues. I suspect it would have been fine til Slring and then a full repot could have been done with a bit more aggressive root work and less worry about it drying out to quick during a recovery period in full Summer's heat.
I tend to agree with the sentiment that Juniper- and most any other type of tree- can be repotted almost any time during the growing season. After care is what determines how they bounce back as much as the time of year/ weather. As long as it is not the dead of winter and they are actively growing, most trees bounce back just fine if they are kept wet and happy for a couple months after a repot... The issue is the root work makes it harder to keep them wet and happy especially in really hot weather (and that is further compounded by sun and wind!)... So, partial shade a bit of wind protection and plenty of water is generally the best recipe for a happy tree after a repot whether Spring or Summer or Fall... If you do it in the middle of the winter... Good luck! Prolly gonna be tossing it on the compost heap by Spring.
I tend to agree with the sentiment that Juniper- and most any other type of tree- can be repotted almost any time during the growing season. After care is what determines how they bounce back as much as the time of year/ weather. As long as it is not the dead of winter and they are actively growing, most trees bounce back just fine if they are kept wet and happy for a couple months after a repot... The issue is the root work makes it harder to keep them wet and happy especially in really hot weather (and that is further compounded by sun and wind!)... So, partial shade a bit of wind protection and plenty of water is generally the best recipe for a happy tree after a repot whether Spring or Summer or Fall... If you do it in the middle of the winter... Good luck! Prolly gonna be tossing it on the compost heap by Spring.
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