Through a strange twist of fate (Mother's friend gives her bonsai who in turn hands it off to me) I have recently become the proud owner of a Bonsai plant from Home Depot. After some research, I found out that proper watering requires a pot with a drainage hole in the bottom or else the plant will get root rot and die. The problem is that the pot it came in does NOT have any drainage whatsoever.
My question is whether or not I should repot it to a proper pot for the plant (I have all materials). I live in Illinois, and the average temperature outside is about 30(F) midday, and 10-20(F) at night. The average temperature in my home is 65(F). I have read that repotting during winter can be risky, but don't want it to drown in it's own pot, any suggestions?
I have enclosed a picture below, and it is a Panda Ficus to the best of my research (the tag it came with only said House Bonsai). Any help will be much appreciated, thank you.
[img]https://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z394/JLomb/DSCN2141.jpg[/img]
JLomb,
If it is indeed a Ficus it could be re-potted 'out of season. Warm weather is probably your best bet but tropicals don't have the same seasonal issues that temperate trees do. Perhaps a safe compromise would be to slip pot it now and after it has had a chance to stabilize, and you become more used to it's needs, you could do a proper re-pot this summer. This would also give you the opportunity to do some research on bonsai soil which is quite different than conventional potting soil.
Norm
If it is indeed a Ficus it could be re-potted 'out of season. Warm weather is probably your best bet but tropicals don't have the same seasonal issues that temperate trees do. Perhaps a safe compromise would be to slip pot it now and after it has had a chance to stabilize, and you become more used to it's needs, you could do a proper re-pot this summer. This would also give you the opportunity to do some research on bonsai soil which is quite different than conventional potting soil.
Norm