When to style, wire and when to repot

[willhopper]

I recently picked up a nice juniper from a local Bonsai shop here in Central Florida. Given my zone, can you tell me the ideal time to repot and the right time to style and wire?

It’s currently in nursery soil in a standard plastic pot, so no Bonsai pot and no Bonsai soil.

 

[yenling83]

Generally speaking the best time to do major styling on a Juniper is in later winter/ early spring just before the buds push. That's the best time to repot as well. I would generally pick only one operation this year. The reason for this is in Spring you will get a big push of growth which will heal the tree from the damage it received during the styling process. However if a Juniper is healthy, work in the summer or fall is usually okay as well. Most important thing is to get the tree nice and healthy before working on it. You want to see elongating tips(runners) before working on it. Generally nursery soil is not something that creates the type of root system we are seeking for Bonsai. So if it's a tree you really like, I'd repot into a better mix first(I like akadama, pumice, scoria). But if the material is not high quality, you could also practice your wire and styling now. Good luck!

 

[willhopper]

Thanks for the reply. So, if I were to repot now (late November in C. Fla.) that would be OK? And if I did, would styling be best a year from now, or could I style in early spring? I was told I could style in late summer here as well, but looking for as much input as possible. Or, if I style now, which fits in with your advice, when would I repot? I just don’t want to insult the tree too often.

 

[willhopper]

This is the Juniper, BTW. I have no idea what kind it is.

 

[yenling83]

Yah there are lots of varieties of Juniper could be several different one's. I'm guessing that might be a blue rug variety, but could be totally wrong. I think you should wait until late winter/early spring to re-pot. For me in California that's Jan, Feb, early March 2018. The more mild your winter, the less particular you must be about repotting time frame. You can go a head and repot this late winter/early spring. If this were Yamadori(collected from the mountains) and in pumice(a great mix for newly collected trees) I would not repot if I styled the tree. However, since it's in what I would consider a not so great soil mix, I think you can bare root half this late winter/early spring. Once the tree is in a good mix wait a few weeks then use organic fertilizer and feed spring-fall. See how the tree grows/recovers, make sure it's growing strong before working again.

 

[willhopper]

Thanks!