Japanese Black Pine repot

[Haidr]

Got it Ryceman3. It’s just amazing how much knowledge is out there when it comes to bonsai and horticulture now just purely because of how much people enjoy this hobby. Thanks for sharing your expertise you gathered over the years.

 

[Haidr]

Pines aren’t reliant on mycorrhizae, but it is beneficial to them in terms of nutrient and water intake because they have a relatively coarse root structure which makes it a bit more challenging for them to absorb what is available. They also help with upping the tree’s defences to pathogens that might exist in the soil, so there are good reasons to encourage it.
I agree that it comes whether you like it or not, and I have one JBP in particular I need to repot annually because it gets “choked” with it to the point watering is just impossible. This is an anomaly though, the vast majority seem to have it at more manageable levels. I add it back in a repot because it’s right there, if I had to seek it out I probably wouldn’t bother. Nothing to lose…

Got it Ryceman3. It’s just amazing how much knowledge is out there when it comes to bonsai and horticulture now just purely because of how much people enjoy this hobby. Thanks for sharing your expertise you gathered over the years.

 

[Haidr]

Hi all, repotting done. I’m glad I did it as the soil and roots were just a block of compacted brick, Could hardly poke a chopstick to straighten out the roots. Did the following steps;

1. Straighten out the roots using a bamboo chopstick.
2. Removed the old compacted soil carefully.
3. Trimmed only the overly long roots.
4. Planted it back in the mix, 55% Kanuma Japanese Pumice, 35% hard akadama, 10% pine bark.
5. Base 1-2 layers only pumice for better drainage.
6. Securely it with a wire and watered thoroughly.

Appreciate all your help. I hope the bonsai responds well to the repotting work.

 

[bwaynef]

What made you opt for fully barerooting it?

 

[Haidr]

Hi mate, there were clunk of mud and roots inside that would have left pockets of dry and wet zones, I can’t imagine any water or oxygen getting in there if I would have only put new soil on the outside leaving the inner more problematic area as it is. I know it’s a risky move but didn’t make sense leaving two different types of soils also airy and some very compacted zones inside.

 

[Haidr]

Hi all, @Shibui @Ryceman3. 2 month post repot update. The bonsai is doing well (I think) please have a look at the pictures attached and let me know. When can I start fertiliser? The bonsai was bare rooted and all the old compacted soil was removed. (Big sin in bonsai community I know)

 

[Shibui]

Looking good. Nice, small candles and fairly even size and strength by the look of them.
My potting mix has fertiliser in it so my trees all get fertilised as soon as I water after repotting and seem to do OK so I question the theory we can't fertilise right after repotting.
No problem fertilising now and keep it up until December, assuming you'll be decandling.

 

[Ryceman3]

I agree, looks like it is growing on well since the repot.
You definitely need to be fertilising pretty liberally from this point if you are considering decandling this December. I started last month, it's important to really build up strength beforehand so I would consider putting down fertiliser bags and supplementing with liquid fertiliser (maybe weekly?). The benefit of using bags and not having fert directly in your mix is that you can easily remove it after decandling... for trees in development though I don't see the harm in using slow release in the potting mix.

 

[Haidr]

Looking good. Nice, small candles and fairly even size and strength by the look of them.
My potting mix has fertiliser in it so my trees all get fertilised as soon as I water after repotting and seem to do OK so I question the theory we can't fertilise right after repotting.
No problem fertilising now and keep it up until December, assuming you'll be decandling.

Thank you for your response. I have started fertilising with the organic bonsai fertiliser by putting it in the baskets. And Yes, I’ll be decandling it in December to keep the bonsai from getting too leggy.

 

[Haidr]

I agree, looks like it is growing on well since the repot.
You definitely need to be fertilising pretty liberally from this point if you are considering decandling this December. I started last month, it's important to really build up strength beforehand so I would consider putting down fertiliser bags and supplementing with liquid fertiliser (maybe weekly?). The benefit of using bags and not having fert directly in your mix is that you can easily remove it after decandling... for trees in development though I don't see the harm in using slow release in the potting mix.

Appreciate your response. Wasn’t sure if I should start fertilising now or wait for the needles to extend fully as I have read it on the form somewhere. Now I have started fertilising with organic bonsai fertiliser I got from Bunnings assuming it’s good. Did you have any experience with this or can you recommend me a good organic fertiliser available in Australia? Thank you.

I agree, looks like it is growing on well since the repot.
You definitely need to be fertilising pretty liberally from this point if you are considering decandling this December. I started last month, it's important to really build up strength beforehand so I would consider putting down fertiliser bags and supplementing with liquid fertiliser (maybe weekly?). The benefit of using bags and not having fert directly in your mix is that you can easily remove it after decandling... for trees in development though I don't see the harm in using slow release in the potting mix.

 

[Ryceman3]

Appreciate your response. Wasn’t sure if I should start fertilising now or wait for the needles to extend fully as I have read it on the form somewhere. Now I have started fertilising with organic bonsai fertiliser I got from Bunnings assuming it’s good. Did you have any experience with this or can you recommend me a good organic fertiliser available in Australia? Thank you.

If you are planning to decandle, waiting for the needles to fully extend is way too late to begin fertilising. Never seen this Bunnings product or actually used any fertiliser that was billed as for "bonsai" ... they are trees so just need what all plants require really - nothing specific. I use Dynamic Lifter (there is a version that is labelled "organic") in either teabags or baskets. I have also added Blood & Bone, but not compulsory... particularly on pines you are refining.
I will apply liquid fertiliser in conjunction while prepping my pines in spring. Anything really ... but usually something like Charlie Carp or Powerfeed is good.
Don't get too weighed down on brands or specific "bonsai" targeted marketing, any fertiliser is better than none but also note that applying at a rate above recommended isn't going to result in an extra boost and may even have the opposite effect, so just use whatever you get at the recommended rate.

 

[Haidr]

If you are planning to decandle, waiting for the needles to fully extend is way too late to begin fertilising. Never seen this Bunnings product or actually used any fertiliser that was billed as for "bonsai" ... they are trees so just need what all plants require really - nothing specific. I use Dynamic Lifter (there is a version that is labelled "organic") in either teabags or baskets. I have also added Blood & Bone, but not compulsory... particularly on pines you are refining.
I will apply liquid fertiliser in conjunction while prepping my pines in spring. Anything really ... but usually something like Charlie Carp or Powerfeed is good.
Don't get too weighed down on brands or specific "bonsai" targeted marketing, any fertiliser is better than none but also note that applying at a rate above recommended isn't going to result in an extra boost and may even have the opposite effect, so just use whatever you get at the recommended rate.

Copy that. Appreciate your help. The fertiliser I mentioned from Bunnings is blood and bone fertiliser, smells terrible but it’s organic I’ll follow this regiment you have explained. Using organic fertiliser regularly and weekly dose of liquid fertiliser. I’m also using a product called Seaweed secrets from Plant doctor as soil conditioner. It has kelp and fulvic acid and experienced good results with all my bonsai.

 

[Shibui]

Agree that waiting until needles open is way too late to fertilise for Spring. Trees get weak and do not respond well to decandling after limited Spring fert. That reminds me that my pines need more fert soon.

I'm pretty sure that waiting until needles harden is AFTER decandling. Limiting fert after decandling helps limit new candle growth and needle size. Maybe you misinterpreted what was written, maybe whoever posted that misinterpreted or typo. Unfortunately, there's a lot of misinformation around pine maintenance.

 

[Haidr]

Agree that waiting until needles open is way too late to fertilise for Spring. Trees get weak and do not respond well to decandling after limited Spring fert. That reminds me that my pines need more fert soon.

I'm pretty sure that waiting until needles harden is AFTER decandling. Limiting fert after decandling helps limit new candle growth and needle size. Maybe you misinterpreted what was written, maybe whoever posted that misinterpreted or typo. Unfortunately, there's a lot of misinformation around pine maintenance.

That makes sense.

Agree that waiting until needles open is way too late to fertilise for Spring. Trees get weak and do not respond well to decandling after limited Spring fert. That reminds me that my pines need more fert soon.

I'm pretty sure that waiting until needles harden is AFTER decandling. Limiting fert after decandling helps limit new candle growth and needle size. Maybe you misinterpreted what was written, maybe whoever posted that misinterpreted or typo. Unfortunately, there's a lot of misinformation around pine maintenance.