Should I Move To Nursery Pots?

[Palmer67]

We're in mid September and my tropical trees are moving inside soon. I'm a houseplant freak and I have a room with grow lights and a humidifier, so I'm not worried about conditions. These trees will certainly thrive inside my grow room. However, these trees were some of my first purchases. They were cheap and came in the mail with really small trunks. They're all healthy and would survive a re-pot now.

Should I move them to big pots or colanders to increase trunk size? I'm not sure if it would speed up growth. Logic tells me to move them to a bigger pot and fertilize like my indoor plants. The picture shows the type of colander pots I use for redwoods and other pre-bonsai. The colanders are about 12"x12" and 9" deep. Your thoughts?

 

[Forsoothe!]

Don't re-pot in autumn, do it when they are vigorously growing in May or June and have enough summer left to completely recover. If the trees were happy outdoors as potted, then they'll be fine indoors. "Getting bigger trunks" is a function of growth of the whole tree and just takes time. Bonsai is a hobby for the rest of your life, so the exact number of years it takes to get to a size you like doesn't really matter. I buy plants that are about the size I want and grow them to look more mature by maintaining them, clip & grow. As they get close to show-able appearance, I re-pot tropicals every year or two to keep the roots a given size and occupy a pot that is the show-able size. They will fill up a pot with roots at approximately the same volume that they put out leaves. The canopy is kept tight by defoliating once a year, too. Pinching tips as they exceed the imaginary limits in my mind's eye keeps them compact, too.

 

[leatherback]

Your post has me confused. Are you moving the plants you have ahown inside? Dont, pretty much all of them will suffer if not die. They need their dormancy.

Then you say you are growing them for bonsai. Yet you have them staked as if they are for nursery trade. All you will make are boring straight trunks. Maybe one or two for a formal upright is ok. But all??

As for repotting.. i would either plant out in the yard or keep them in the flats. Fertilize and water well maybe put in larger flats. In nursery pots it is a bit harder to get a wide nebari

 

[sorce]

For the sake of a small footprint, I wouldn't repot now, better to repot when going out since root growth will be more rapid then.

Sorce

 

[Palmer67]

Your post has me confused. Are you moving the plants you have ahown inside? Dont, pretty much all of them will suffer if not die. They need their dormancy.

Then you say you are growing them for bonsai. Yet you have them staked as if they are for nursery trade. All you will make are boring straight trunks. Maybe one or two for a formal upright is ok. But all??

As for repotting.. i would either plant out in the yard or keep them in the flats. Fertilize and water well maybe put in larger flats. In nursery pots it is a bit harder to get a wide nebari

Sorry about that. I tend to ramble on and my pictures have tropical and redwoods/pines. Outdoor trees have to stay outside, but I wanted to show you the baskets I was going to plant the tropical trees into.

TROPICAL TREES: These are shit trees you buy at Walmart or online. No dormant period needed. And I can't stick them in the ground in Washington State. They die under about 40 degrees. They will be in my grow room very soon, fast draining organic soil.

QUESTION: Since I can't stick them in the ground, would planting them in big nursery pots speed up growth and increase the trunk? Placing them back in a tiny bonsai pot makes me think it'l take 30 years to have a good tree. Kinda of tricking them into thinking they're in the ground.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: My tropical trees have been in my grow room for about 2 years. This is their first partial summer and they don't do nearly as well outside compared to my controlled environment. So these ladies will be indoors forever. To me, tropical trees are just houseplants dressed in bark. Outdoor trees are a whole other thing....

Thanks again

 

[Carol 83]

compared to my controlled environment. So these ladies will be indoors forever. To me, tropical trees are just houseplants dressed in bark. Outdoor trees are a whole other thin

Really, they do better inside than out? My tropical's do the opposite. Love their time outside, and grow like mad. Inside, not so much.

 

[Palmer67]

Really, they do better inside than out? My tropical's do the opposite. Love their time outside, and grow like mad. Inside, not so much.

I can say they do better when you place tropical trees in a grow room. 15'x15' with a constant temp above 75 degrees with 70 percent humidity or higher. I adjust the humidity based on plants. Thousands of watts for lighting.

Yes, I grow other stuff beside trees. I've only tried bonsai the last 2 years or so. I've killed some outdoor trees for sure. LOL!

I get not everyone would have a grow room setup, but for me in zone 8A, I can do better indoors. Tropical only indoors! Outdoor trees must be outdoors no matter how good the grow room.

 

[Carol 83]

I can say they do better when you place tropical trees in a grow room. 15'x15' with a constant temp above 75 degrees with 70 percent humidity or higher. I adjust the humidity based on plants. Thousands of watts for lighting.

Yes, I grow other stuff beside trees. I've only tried bonsai the last 2 years or so. I've killed some outdoor trees for sure. LOL!

I get not everyone would have a grow room setup, but for me in zone 8A, I can do better indoors. Tropical only indoors! Outdoor trees must be outdoors no matter how good the grow room.My husband

I have a much simpler set up, so whatever works for you is all good. Reminds me of Grimmy's grow room RIP. My husband tolerates my trees, not sure it would go well if I wanted to dedicate a bedroom to a special plant room.

 

[PABonsai]

Yes, I grow other stuff beside trees.

Awwwww buddy, we know what that means!