Stewartia Monadelpha just arrived

[BonsaiDruid]

Hi, I am new to this forum, but not new to bonsai. Usually I buy my trees in person, but I bought a Stewartia Monadelpha online. It arrived in a 1 gallon pot, single trunk, about 34-36 inches tall. I live in NW Indiana, so the summer is hot and sunny. My question is: do I leave the tree in the pot it was shipped in and repot next spring? If so, should I trim the top down? the trunk goes up for 18" and then forks... or should I do a midsummer repot into a grow-out box, so I can lay out the roots and start to develop a good radial root pattern.
I am reading through the older threads on Stewartia, but I would be grateful for some advice on whether to start or wait... I have also repeatedly read that they do not like to be transplanted, so I am trying to keep repotting to a minimum.

 

[caffeinated]

I'd imagine you'd want to fatten it up a a bit. I'd leave it alone and let it grow and wait to repot until next spring when you can sort out the roots. Meanwhile, morning sun / afternoon shade and let it grow. Maybe a chop in height next year, then let it grow out again, just to keep wound sizes to a minimum on a tree that's prized for it's bark. It's also looking a bit dry or unhappy from shipping, so another good reason to just let it grow for now.

 

[BonsaiDruid]

I'd imagine you'd want to fatten it up a a bit. I'd leave it alone and let it grow and wait to repot until next spring when you can sort out the roots. Meanwhile, morning sun / afternoon shade and let it grow. Maybe a chop in height next year, then let it grow out again, just to keep wound sizes to a minimum on a tree that's prized for it's bark. It's also looking a bit dry or unhappy from shipping, so another good reason to just let it grow for now.

Thanks for replying Yes, I do want to thicken the trunk. The four long whippy branches on top are kind of annoying, but I'll leave them for now. I really want the lower branches to grow, that’s why I thought I might take a few inches off those long whips. It's tall and top-heavy for the little pot it was shipped in. I know it should be hands- off til next year, but it's so hard to wait for a look at those roots! I hope the soil they shipped it in will drain well and not keep it waterlogged.