Wrong soil...to repot or not?

[2MileHighBonsai]

I purchased this cupressus macrocarpa earlier this month at a nursery after I went in looking for an indoor tropical bonsai... I got it for pretty cheap, -$10, and I was told it would be an excellent indoor bonsai..
Shame on me, I did not research until I got back home and now I know that this may not be the case but I am still going to try to keep this tree alive until summer when it can go outside.

I purchased this "bonsai soil" made by Perfect Plants from our venerable commerce overlord, Mr. Bezos, due to many good reviews... Now after trimming the roots a bit and repotting, I am noticing that the soil remains very moist and doesnt't seem to dry out, even after several days. I live in a very, very dry environment (10,000ft) where everyting dries out fast, and I am concerned that the roots are going to rot... I have been misting the foilage when the soil is still wet.

My question is: Would it be best to get more appropriate soil, inorganic mix from 'BonsaiJack.com', and repot the tree now? Or, since I did trim the roots back a bit a month ago, would that be more trauma to the tree than its worth?

Thanks for looking!

The first photo below is the soil after 'drying out' for three days...
BONUS pic of my neighbors weird dogs that keep coming into my yard

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

The root trimming causes the plant to take up less water, so the soil stays wet.
The misting the foliage keeps the plant wet, which inhibits evaporation from the foliage, so it's not required to grow roots or take up water from the soil, so the soil stays wet.
There's little air movement indoors, so there is little evaporation of the soil itself.
The rocks also inhibit breathing of the soil, which is why we generally wire the roots to the pot.

I'm convinced there is no bad bonsai soil. There's only soil that doesn't work well with our personal habits. Change those habits, and you can work with this soil!
But let the plant recover too, stop the misting and force it to get that water from the soil. Once it gets established, you could get to misting again.

Supplemental lighting might be requires to keep it in good health, so don't be surprised if it doesn't make it even though you did everything right. Indoor plants are difficult and there's a reason why most people who grow those have to resort to grow tents with all kind of regulators for humidity and air flow.

 

[2MileHighBonsai]

I'm convinced there is no bad bonsai soil. There's only soil that doesn't work well with our personal habits. Change those habits, and you can work with this soil!
But let the plant recover too, stop the misting and force it to get that water from the soil. Once it gets established, you could get to misting again.

Supplemental lighting might be requires to keep it in good health, so don't be surprised if it doesn't make it even though you did everything right.

Thanks for the great input! I tried to wire the tree to the tray when I repotted and couldn't get it to stay up, I don't think I buried it enough (trying to show some of the nebari), so I resorted to rocks...
I will employ some more chopstick stakes and remove the rocks.
I will cease misting, that makes perfect sense.
I have the tree under my kitchen light that I turn off around 8:30pm, it is fluorescent but I doubt its full-spectrum so I will look into supplemental lighting as well.
I am determined to learn as much as I can from this tree and appreciate your response.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Next time a tie down is attempted one might want to keep this link handy.

Bonsai Tonight bonsai tie down methods.

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[Colorado]

Wow, looks like a beautiful view for your bonsai!!!

 

[2MileHighBonsai]

Wow, looks like a beautiful view for your bonsai!!!

Yes, we are very lucky! Living in the high country can be very hard but the views ALWAYS make up for the efforts.

 

[pandacular]

No one has mentioned this, but a Cupressus will not survive indoors.

 

[2MileHighBonsai]

“and I was told it would be an excellent indoor bonsai..
Shame on me, I did not research until I got back home and now I know that this may not be the case“
-from OP,

I do know that now, but it’s 10 degrees with 30-40mph winds outside till about May so I am going to try and do my best to keep it alive until then.

What do folks that keep these in less moderate climates than the coast typically do with them during the winter?

 

[pandacular]

Winter protection is a complex topic, especially in the high alpine environment. Imo, a big part of it is not growing plants that won’t thrive in your environment. There are several other Colorado posters on here who could help better than I.

I’d start here, Jonas’ blog is always good:

Winter care for bonsai - Bonsai Tonight

Depending on where you live and what kind of trees you grow, your bonsai may need protection from the elements in winter. To help you figure out which trees

bonsaitonight.com

 

[2MileHighBonsai]

Winter protection is a complex topic, especially in the high alpine environment. Imo, a big part of it is not growing plants that won’t thrive in your environment. There are several other Colorado posters on here who could help better than I.

I’d start here, Jonas’ blog is always good:

Winter care for bonsai - Bonsai Tonight

Depending on where you live and what kind of trees you grow, your bonsai may need protection from the elements in winter. To help you figure out which trees

bonsaitonight.com

Thanks, I’m collecting some bristlecones from my property this spring and will also be getting 10 Norwegian Spruce seedlings from the Arbor Day Foundation. I still want to learn as much as I can from this tree.

 

[pandacular]

Absolutely, I'm not suggesting you get rid of the tree. Cupressus will probably do fairly well with moderate winter protection.

I would warn you against getting your hopes up about growing some favored exotic species, such as Japanese maple and maybe even Japanese black pine. Colorado is blessed with numerous wonderful native plants to use, and has a really well developed scene. Good luck, and have fun.