repotting

It's getting closer to that repotting time and I think a big issue I had in my first year was not filtering out and going with set particle sizes for my substrate mixes. I learned this to be a big noob mistake as all the smaller particle substrate moves to the bottom as you water and you end up...

Check out this beautiful Red Maple I just dug from the swamp. Stunning nebari and a leader branch already set in for me. Can’t wait to see where this goes! Trunk is about 6 inches wide at the base. Tips on styling are always welcome. Especially regarding those big cuts!

Hey guys. I recently found what I believe is a red cedar aka eastern juniper in the woods in florida and I dug it out because it had nice features. I should’ve done more research on juniper before I drastically pruned it, because it turns out that juniper does not back bud on branches if...

Dug up this oak a few months ago and it’s bursting with beautiful new foliage. Do you guys think this is suitable material for a good bonsai? Maybe if I chop it low and start a new leader? I dug it up because I thought the nebari was beautiful and there was a little taper at the base.

Hello - It looks as though my bonsai seedlings are wilting. I’m going to guess it is from over watering due to the fruit fly like bugs I’ve seen in the soil. I water using a spray bottle to mist them. I was giving 15 sprays a day but have reduced to a handful. I saw online that putting...

I'm lucky to have a rather large Palmatum in my backyard, and i started to air layer it this season. I took 6 air layerings to test how the tree responds. The tree has good genetics, roots rather quick and 5 of the air layers took, even the rather thick ones. However, the strangeness happened...

Hello all! My first post, long time lurker. I have three mallsai, one Chinese elm and two junipers; my question is: I’d like to uppot them for thickening of trunk and growth and development of the trees. What type of soil will I need for both types of trees? I live in Houston, TX Bonus question...

Hey guys. I have a satsuki shrub that I’ve been wanting to chop into a bonsai for awhile and I have a general idea as to what shape I’m trying to achieve and everything, but I’m having an issue with timing. I live in zone 9a and people I’ve asked have advised me to not chop until january or...

Hello everyone, I’ve seen many topics of this kind from beginners after having repotted their trees. Here’s my premna, was in a huge pot, just repotted in a smaller pot, I trimmed a huge root pad, and few big roots I think I removed at least 50% which seems to be ok for this specie as they are...

Hi all, In our landscape, there was this crepe myrtle that my parents wanted to get rid of and I figured: why not use it for bonsai. I am relatively new to bonsai and would like to know if this is usable material. The leaves on this variety are very small and glossy and the flowers are red...

I currently have two ficus microcarpa. The first is tiny and I've had it since the fall. It seems to love my apartment conditions so I made a much larger investment on a second one. The new one is about 25" tall out of the pot, so something fairly large that I desperately want to keep alive...

I've recently decided to "do bonsai" which for me means kind of jumping in. There was some raod work near me in January and February and I dug up 17 small tho pleasingly gnarly Doug Firs that were in the path of the work. For the most part they had good feeder roots and because of the...

This will be my first time wiring my bonsai. I have read about the correct materials to use, but I am unsure where to start wiring and clean up my little tree. I would like to note I am also planning to repot on the same day as this is a hardy plant. Any advice would be awesome and I am planning...

Last year, I documented the first repotting of my Abies lasiocarpa into a bonsai pot. These are the techniques I have learned for stabilizing the tree and maintaining the correct planting angle. Have plenty of different sized props on hand to hold the tree in the desired position: Prop the...

Hello, I repot my Ficus Retusa on Saturday (20th), going from a pretty decent nursary soil to an Akadama/lava rock mix. Soil choice where I live (Switzerland) is pretty limited, so I went for this house blend from a good shop. I went for the Akadama mix in the end as also an experiment, just to...

All im looking to repot my podocarpus. The tree is about 20”+ tall and is currently sitting in a 11” by 8” pot. What’s the right size pot for this size Bonsai? Should I size up to 12”-13” or wider? I prefer rectangular pots.

Hi everyone. I have been into bonsai for about 4 or 5 years now and have been wanting a Japanese Maple for a while. I bought some seedlings a few years ago or so from a garden center for around 2 dollars a piece, but killed them over the winter because I didn't water them. For some reason I...

Deep Sea Diver here. Since I’ve been volunteering at the Pacific Bonsai Museum for the better part of a year, I figured that I’d post some of the jobs the volunteers do over this year to give folks what goes on behind the scenes at the Museum. Some of you have seen my first job, debarking a...

Heyo, I am relatively new to bonsai and purchased an old boxwood transplant from a vendor in Colorado in mid-October (I live in Southern Nevada). I transferred from the nursery pot into the training pot pictured. The first picture shows the form before trimming and wiring. I figure I'd play...

Hey! So i recently repotted my fukien tea out if its nursery pot, and its not looking too happy. The leaves are very droopy and some are yellowing or drying up. I'm worried bc I had to cut more of the root system than I wanted to. Unfortunately it had a lot of surface roots, and then one long...

I have a loblolly pine that I would like to repot. When is the best time to do that?

I bought a potted Black Hills Spruce (Picea glauca var. densata) from Lowes last weekend. It appears to have been dug recently and just dropped into a pot. The soil is fine sand/silt and washes away easily (and weighs like it is solid rock). Can I re-pot this tree into good bonsai mix now? or...

Hey, all! I humbly come to thee seeking advice on how to salvage this situation I've single-handedly put myself in. After catching the Arakawa-itch, I bought some nursery stock from Bill V the Great. He also had his "trademark" Koto Hime, so I couldn't resist. But I miscalculated since the two...

I found a weeping redbud (I assume, it wasn’t tagged or labeled) and am asking for insight on it. The 4+ feet tall leader had already died back when I purchased the tree, and I snapped some of it off by hand. When Is it ok to transplant from nursery pot into slightly smaller pot (not ready to...

Hello, I have had a fukien tea tree for about four years and repotted for the first time a few weeks ago. I was having a problem with mealy bugs that were persisting after multiple treatment methods so I decided to repot because the tree had still been healthy/producing new leaves throughout...