too late to repot???

TinyTree

Hello Bonsai people,
It's almost May and I have a juniper, cherry brush, maple(which hasn't swelled yet) and a ficus. I'd like to repot these this year. Have I missed my opportunity? Here in Colorado, spring really doesn't start until about this time.
Specific questions:
-The maple has moss on the top layer. How do I remove this? Is it as easy as just scraping it off?
-I'm moving the maple to a larger growing box. Do I prune the roots or just remove from old pot and place in new?

-I'm planning on putting the juniper in a growing box. Can I prune it with it's transplant to a larger pot?

-Do cherry brush and ficus grow well in gallon training pots? I want to let them grow unrestricted for a couple years.

Thanks in advance for helping me with my questions.

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Alasdair

I don't know about your repotting questions, but i do about removing the moss. You should be able to almost peel it off the top of the soil, it is that easy.

As to putting the maple in a growing box i think you would need to do something with tho roots. If they have been growing around the inside of the pot you may want to comb them out so that they can make use of the space in the growing box.

Al

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pootsie

If the maple has put out leaves you are safe to repot.

With a ficus, you can repot any time the tree is in good health.

good luck

pootsie

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bwaynef

If the maple buds haven't started to swell yet, I'd say it'd be safe to repot. As to its roots, I'd go ahead and remove the large woody roots, especially if you foresee them making it difficult to put into whatever pot you're aiming for eventually. If the maple's going to a larger grow box, it might be a little counter-productive (in the short term at least) to chop the roots too much though. The grow box is used to facilitate growth, whereas root pruning keeps it in check. The maple will probably recover pretty quickly from the large-root removal as long as there are plenty of feeder roots.

On the juniper, you can do some pruning when you're repotting, especially if you're not doing too much with the roots (see above about the grow box.)

Gallon training pots are a staple of most backyard bonsaiists. Usually they'll be cut down containers but they're used. If you're going to let them grow for a few years, you may have to slip-pot them into something larger for unrestrained growth eventually.

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TinyTree

Thanks for answering my questions. I found last night that my little elm has green leaf jumpers taking over. I was surprised how well they hide and how difficult they are to see. Any suggestions on removing them? Whats a good killer for these things.


Thanks again