Trunk chooped my larch - Too soon to repot?

andytrace

Hey, i havn't been on here for a few months!

I had a japanese larch that had a really thick trunk that diverted off to one side so i chopped the trunk where it changed direction.
I did that about a month ago and now the tree is only a third of its height!But it has taken well to the trunk chop and has developped new growth on the existing branches, although no new branches have come out yet!

the thing is before it was an ugly tree in a ugly washing up bowl, used as a growing pot! But now it looks much nicer so i want to repot it into a nice clay pot, but is it too soon?

Will it be fine if i get a new pot that is about the same size as the old washing up bowl its in? Or will it benefit from going into a smaller pot to balance out its foliage to root ratio?

I've never done a trunk chop before so i'm not completely sure what to do!

I'm in the UK and its planted in almost pure akameda with just a bit of soil mixed in!

Hope some1 can help

thanks

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rowan57

Andy, its not the ideal time to be repotting anything here, whereabouts in the UK are you? Personally i would wait until spring just before it starts popping buds, remember, patience is the key The soil mix sounds ok, personally i use pure akadama for almost everything except mame trees, but if your further south where its drier that may change, and if your further north where its wetter that may change again
Hope that helps
Rowan

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In literary and art criticism there are two criteria, the political and the artistic....

Words and actions should help to unite, and not divide, the people of our various nationalities

I often talk to myself because i am the only one who truly understands me.

andytrace

well i'm in swindon which is pretty south, i had an elm dry out which is why i use a bit of soil, luckily the elm is making a come back tho!only problem with the soil is you get crappy weeds growing!
If i just take the whole mass of roots and soil and move it all in one peice to another pot, will that still be a bit risky? I'm not botherd about going to a smaller pot, i would just like it in a suitable one!

But i will hold back if it is a big risk!?

ElGringo

It sounds like your tree is ok for now, but repot in the early spring. If you really stressed it when you chopped the trunk, you could leave it for another year until you transplant. Better safe than sorry!

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Richard

Mcspeed

If you mess with the roots now it won't be good for the tree, wait till spring , but before the buds open.

Usually you will need some grow time after a chop to get your new leader in shape, and starting the branch work, pot it now and this will be a lot slower process. Stop worrrying about a pretty pot for a while and put it in a grow box, good bonsai usually don't see a bonsai pot anywhere from 5 to 15 years of work. Too big a pot till it's ready, and you create root rot problems if not very carefull. Remember Bonsai is not a fast paced sport, the P word is the best route.

rowan57

Do you have the time to water on a regular basis? i.e. everything i have in pure akadama gets watered everyday at least once during summer but if you only have time to water every couple of days then you may need to use a more water retentive mix.

__________________
In literary and art criticism there are two criteria, the political and the artistic....

Words and actions should help to unite, and not divide, the people of our various nationalities

I often talk to myself because i am the only one who truly understands me.

andytrace

I can water them everyday most days, probably like 4 or 5 times a week, which has worked well for the last year or so, my elm just went into a spot of trouble because i went away for a weekend, i thought it would be fine but we had some really good weather (bad for my trees tho!).
It's perking up now tho but i would imagine the elm would be a bit weaker now than before because of losing its leaves so its in a much more shelterd spot from the sun!
Ok you've all convinced me to leave the larch where it is, i've had a spot of bad luck (spending £1000 on a faulty camcorder) so the last thing i need is a dying bonsai on my hands aswell!

Thanks for your help

rowan57

When you go away its really a good idea to get someone to keep an eye on stuff even if its only for a weekend, you might get rain all weekend and they may not need watering, but you may get unseasonally nice weather (as you found out) and they could need watering everyday.

__________________
In literary and art criticism there are two criteria, the political and the artistic....

Words and actions should help to unite, and not divide, the people of our various nationalities

I often talk to myself because i am the only one who truly understands me.