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DDMcKenna
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Posts: 152
Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2014 1:10 pm
Location: Florida, USA, just north of Daytona Beach

Will She Survive...

Good Evening all and Happy Easter a day early.

It's practically summer here in central Florida although we have had some interesting weather this year with some days that experienced 40 degree swings. But I believe for all intensive purposes, I can call it spring and thus time for Juni's second repotting. The first one, last spring, I don't really consider a 'full' repotting because I didn't know what to do with the hard-packed root-ball at her immediate base so It pretty much stayed untouched. I didn't want to damage any of the root fibers or break any more of those fine root hairs than I had to. As such, she went back sitting a little higher in the pot than I would have liked but she did well and almost doubled the length of her biggest limb.

This year, I spent an hour with her at the sink rinsing and gently massaging that root-ball to loosen and remove all the old soil, dirt, and rocks I found embedded in it. Last year, I was amazed to find that her root structure encompassed the entire pot and it was like, where did all the soil go because it was all matted roots. This year, she had less root mass and seemed to be concentrated mostly right in the center. When I got done rinsing her clean, she seemed to have far less roots than I imagined...
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Last year, I was almost under the impression she had more 'root' than she had exposed above the soil. This year turns out quite the opposite. I was able to repot her sitting lower in the pot. I started with a half inch layer of soil, positioned her and wired her down, then another half or three-quarters of an inch of soil before I added some of that slow release fertilizer. Then added soil till the pot was a quarter inch from full and another half a teaspoon of that slow release fertilizer.

I did notice that this year, as opposed to last year, when I water her, the water almost pours straight through very quickly. Last year, I had to use a toothpick to unplug the hole in the bottom of the pot and still, it took several minutes to pour a couple 32 ounce glasses of water through her soil. I am hoping that I didn't traumatize her beyond what she can handle. If she survives this, she can live through anything and I may consider modifying her shape a little. I did rotate her in the pot about 45 degrees as was suggested here. I would like to see her fill in a bit more nearer to the base where-as she seems to want to stretch out and reach as far out into the sun as she can get.

I wish I could trust the weather here enough to leave her all the way out in full sun but I'm still afraid the downpours we have would wash her right out of the pot while I was away at work. So she remains within her little house I built for her, shielding her from direct vertical rain but allowing her the full spectrum of morning and early afternoon sun. The house put her in a shadow as of about 3PM or so and I think that's enough to prevent her from over-exposure.

Another other tips or suggestions are graciously welcome...

Thanks, David

garmy yo
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Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2015 6:19 pm
Location: Longmont, Colorado

I would like to see a picture of the finished re-pot.

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DDMcKenna
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Posts: 152
Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2014 1:10 pm
Location: Florida, USA, just north of Daytona Beach

As per your request...
I should have done that anyway. I was petrified after cleaning her up that much. Somehow, it just doesn't seem natural to put a plant through that kind of trauma as nothing like that in nature would occur short a hurricane washing her away and she having to take root again by herself. But she's back in the pot a week now, or almost anyway and I am still amazed at how fast the water just pours through her new medium.

I don't water until I can poke around with my little wooden coffee stirrer and pull it out dry. So it all depends on the weather as to how much she gets watered. I might mist her daily or every other day with water that has liquid fertilizer in it. She still smells really good and feels good to touch. We've had some windy weather lately and I have an oak tree nearby so I am constantly cleaning the oak tree debris out of her.
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I really think that if she can withstand this intensive treatment, she was really meant to live. I'll probably have to wait at least a couple months to see how she does before I attack her again and see what I can do to try and rearrange her limbs in some distinctive fashion. One thing I noticed tonight is that she still seems quite springy. Whenever I move a branch or limb, it has a lot of tension or spring to return to where it used to be or wants to be. I am using the edge of the pot to elevate the one giant limb from where it use to hang so low. I'm not sure what I want to do with that...

imafan26
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Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Bonsai usually have restricted roots. Usually we don't remove the soil from the root ball. If you soak the plant in water for about 5-10 minutes the root ball gets pretty saturated if it had issues with drying out. The roots filling the pot is normal and why bonsai are often repotted every six months or so when they are in a shallow pot. It depends on how fast the plant grows. Some can go longer. It is often why bonsai are relatively heavy feeders because they have a small root system supporting sometimes a very large trunk and canopy. And also why it is good to know your plant. Most bonsai grown outdoors have to be watered every day here.

Usually the root ball is not taken apart. The roots are trimmmed and sometimes some of the soil is gently brushed away from the top of the soil to expose more of the roots near the trunk. This gives the illusion of erosion and age.



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