First repot of 2024

[rockm]

My first repot of the year. This Amur planting forced my hand. Buds are opening will be in leaf before the end of the week. Not great, but necessary. These two were part of a five tree planting I'd had for a long time and have traded back and forth with a friend over the years. This year I moved two of the tree (the rest have been eliminated over the years mostly because they had die back that was causing issues with rot). I'd been planning to get these two out of the large low oval pot they were in for years into this drum pot. Turned out OK I think. Now just have to schlep it in and out of protection until mid-April

 

[Deleted member 47471]

My first repot of the year. This Amur planting forced my hand. Buds are opening will be in leaf before the end of the week. Not great, but necessary. These two were part of a five tree planting I'd had for a long time and have traded back and forth with a friend over the years. This year I moved two of the tree (the rest have been eliminated over the years mostly because they had die back that was causing issues with rot). I'd been planning to get these two out of the large low oval pot they were in for years into this drum pot. Turned out OK I think. Now just have to schlep it in and out of protection until mid-April View attachment 529609

I knew you’d get started soon enough lol excellent tree!

 

[The Warm Canuck]

Nice tree!

I'd like to ask about your experiences with ginnala.

I've been working with them for a few years now and am trying to develop a strategy to minimize their tendency to drop branches and die back unexpectedly.

They're difficult because they can be such an aggressive grower, but trying to frequently prune them can lead to the unexpected die back. However, I have no experience with one in a bonsai specific pot, I'm still in pre-bonsai stage with all of mine.

Do you treat them the same as any other maple or do you have special considerations for the species? My strategy this year will to only do hard cut backs in the summer.

 

[rockm]

Nice tree!

I'd like to ask about your experiences with ginnala.

I've been working with them for a few years now and am trying to develop a strategy to minimize their tendency to drop branches and die back unexpectedly.

They're difficult because they can be such an aggressive grower, but trying to frequently prune them can lead to the unexpected die back. However, I have no experience with one in a bonsai specific pot, I'm still in pre-bonsai stage with all of mine.

Do you treat them the same as any other maple or do you have special considerations for the species? My strategy this year will to only do hard cut backs in the summer.

I hard prune in the late winter just like any maple. I don't know if I'd do hard cuts in summer though. They're tough. Give it a try. I trim back new extension growth as needed in the spring/summer. They sometimes get die back from hard pruning large branches/trunks. They can also drop branching occasionally. They can take extreme root reduction. Biggest issue with them for me has been early bud break. I leave the out unprotected all winter, but sometimes they start pushing leaves in Feb. like this year. That's a problem as I don't have extensive frost free storage areas.

 

[Dabbler]

The anti frost shuffle begins...

 

[rockm]

FWIW, I move this under the deck at night on the patio brick and put a bag of bonsai soil over the pot. I don't bring it inside. Temps at night have been to the mid 20's. The soil hasn't frozen so far. Not overly concerned with that since it's an Amur and pretty cold hardy. Bringing it inside at night will only push it harder to leaf out--leaves WILL be killed by freezes. The exposure of the roots to daytime temps in the high 40s during the repotting process accelerated the buds, anyway. No need to encourage it any more than necessary.

 

[Don Blackmond]

My first repot of the year. This Amur planting forced my hand. Buds are opening will be in leaf before the end of the week. Not great, but necessary. These two were part of a five tree planting I'd had for a long time and have traded back and forth with a friend over the years. This year I moved two of the tree (the rest have been eliminated over the years mostly because they had die back that was causing issues with rot). I'd been planning to get these two out of the large low oval pot they were in for years into this drum pot. Turned out OK I think. Now just have to schlep it in and out of protection until mid-April View attachment 529609

It's going to be almost 60 degrees F here in SW Michigan today. Its easy to get ahead of schedule when deluded by days like this. I keep telling myself, "steady, hold, hold, hold...."

 

[rockm]

It's going to be almost 60 degrees F here in SW Michigan today. Its easy to get ahead of schedule when deluded by days like this. I keep telling myself, "steady, hold, hold, hold...."

Next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we're forecast for high 60's possibly 70. No doubt followed by March snow and a deep freeze or two before mid April rolls around and the danger fades.