I just recently bought a ficus bonsai tree from a nursery and noticed that the rocks on top of the soil are completely glued tight around the trunk!!! As a result I'm not sure how I would go about re-potting it. The current pot is ugly and I would like to put it in a more traditional bonsai pot. Any suggestions as to how to go about breaking up the glue without hurting the tree???
Matt
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Matt,
You are correct in wishing to remove the pebbles and not just for re-potting purposes. This is not done for any horticultural reason but as a shipping aid and they need to go soon.
I have never had to deal with this having never purchased a tree like this. You are just going to have to use you ingenuity. Perhaps a flat bladed screwdriver or pliers can help. I suspect that once you get it started it will come up in big chunks. Try not to break the pot since this is not the ideal time to re-pot. You can if necessary, but most growers re-pot Ficus in summer.
You will probably find that you need to backfill with additional soil. Even though the soil is probably inferior I suggest that you use a similar type of material. Having two types of soil in the same pot is not a good situation. Later you can re-pot into a better medium.
Norm
You are correct in wishing to remove the pebbles and not just for re-potting purposes. This is not done for any horticultural reason but as a shipping aid and they need to go soon.
I have never had to deal with this having never purchased a tree like this. You are just going to have to use you ingenuity. Perhaps a flat bladed screwdriver or pliers can help. I suspect that once you get it started it will come up in big chunks. Try not to break the pot since this is not the ideal time to re-pot. You can if necessary, but most growers re-pot Ficus in summer.
You will probably find that you need to backfill with additional soil. Even though the soil is probably inferior I suggest that you use a similar type of material. Having two types of soil in the same pot is not a good situation. Later you can re-pot into a better medium.
Norm
Thanks once again Norm! Yea, I usually don't buy from places as such but I saw this little tree and loved it. I cannot fathom why people would glue rocks!!! LOL (Although your explanation does shed some light on it)
I'm going to try the screwdriver and being that this tree remains indoors, I might bite the bullet and totally re-pot with a better bonsai soil. The tree is doing really well so hopefully it catches onto the new pot well.
Thanks again!
Matt
I'm going to try the screwdriver and being that this tree remains indoors, I might bite the bullet and totally re-pot with a better bonsai soil. The tree is doing really well so hopefully it catches onto the new pot well.
Thanks again!
Matt