Parrots Beak Repot

[roberthu]

Bought this from Wigerts and it was in pure organic soil of peat and large wood chips. No problem with drainage but since this is going into the house in the winter, I thought it was better to repot in inorganic soli to reduce bug issues.
Didn’t take any work in process photos since I was working alone. But I ended up removing about half of the root mass. Cut off some thick roots that was preventing me from putting it into the bonsai pot. Luckily not much fine roots were attached to those inch thick roots.
After watering, I then pruned off about 60% of the foliage. I will be adding a layer of sphagnum moss on top of the akadama tomorrow morning. We are still having 80 plus days so I think it will be okay.
Looking forward to hear your experience and comments. The tree is just a pre bonsai material and will take years to establish. But this is the first step on the long journey.

 

[Carol 83]

I repotted a little guy about a month ago, it didn't even blink. It's growing nicely now, I'm sure yours will be fine.

 

[roberthu]

I repotted a little guy about a month ago, it didn't even blink. It's growing nicely now, I'm sure yours will be fine.

Thank you.
Curious what soil did you use. Ryan Neil recommends pure akadama for all deciduous and tropical so I went with it. In the pas I have used turface with pretty good results but it doesn’t stay put like akadama does. Akadama also retains more water and nutrients so I gave it a shot.

 

[Carol 83]

Thank you.
Curious what soil did you use. Ryan Neil recommends pure akadama for all deciduous and tropical so I went with it. In the pas I have used turface with pretty good results but it doesn’t stay put like akadama does. Akadama also retains more water and nutrients so I gave it a shot.

Bonsai soil I got from a local bonsai nursery, that has since closed. That's what all my trees are in, never had an issue with it.

 

[roberthu]

Bonsai soil I got from a local bonsai nursery, that has since closed. That's what all my trees are in, never had an issue with it.

Thank you. Sad to see bonsai nursery close down though...

 

[Carol 83]

Thank you. Sad to see bonsai nursery close down though...

I know, I hated it since it was 6 miles from my house. The business was run by two brothers, great guys that were just ready to retire, so good for them. It was so much better to be able to actually see a tree in person than to buy on-line.

 

[Forsoothe!]

Plants gather resources and grow from the periods when they have leaves, so removing leaves this time of year is not the best strategy. Probably won't kill the tree, but serves little purpose. I prefer to have my trees carry the 2nd flush over winter and rob the leaves as they are aged in spring or early summer when there is plenty of time to grow a new set and have time to enjoy the benefits, -like growth. A better strategy, IMHO.

 

[Mycin]

Plants gather resources and grow from the periods when they have leaves, so removing leaves this time of year is not the best strategy. Probably won't kill the tree, but serves little purpose. I prefer to have my trees carry the 2nd flush over winter and rob the leaves as they are aged in spring or early summer when there is plenty of time to grow a new set and have time to enjoy the benefits, -like growth. A better strategy, IMHO.

Does this still apply to tropical trees?

 

[Cable]

I repotted mine about a week ago in Clay King. It was in a smaller pot and was very root bound. It should be much happier now.

 

[Forsoothe!]

Does this still apply to tropical trees?

Absolutely. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the perfect, never changing weather of the Garden of Eden doesn't exist anywhere. There is a growing season and an off-season everywhere. In places where there is no winter there is still a change in weather, usually a wet season and a dry season caused by the winds changing direction. On-shore winds pickup humidity over the water and dump it as the air passes over land that rises. The air cools 3 to 5 degrees F for every 1,000 feet increase. The air also cools significantly late in the day and at dusk. When the air is at high humanities as it is over a warm sea it doesn't take a very big drop in temperature to rain, so rain late in the day like clockwork in tropics is very common near the sea (in the wet season). The reverse is true in a dry season where the winds blow from the highlands or mountains downward. The increase in temperature of 3 to 5 degrees per 1,000 feet dry the air quickly. The middles of all great continents are dry, and lands in the path of prevailing winds over water get rain. Geography is weather and is inescapable.

 

[roberthu]

Plants gather resources and grow from the periods when they have leaves, so removing leaves this time of year is not the best strategy. Probably won't kill the tree, but serves little purpose. I prefer to have my trees carry the 2nd flush over winter and rob the leaves as they are aged in spring or early summer when there is plenty of time to grow a new set and have time to enjoy the benefits, -like growth. A better strategy, IMHO.

I pruned the leaves to compensate for the loss of root mass. Tropicals usually have high water transpiration and if I don’t remove some leaves, I tend to see the entire tree wilt.

 

[Mycin]

OP, it's an underrated tree in my opinion. Seems like they are cheaper than other comparable tropical variants. Lovely leaves and a fast grower.

Mine seems to have many fine feeder roots near the surface, literally one particle deep. Maybe it’s my imagination but mine seems to be doing better after I put a layer of moss down on top to help keep those roots moist.

Cuttings can be rooted fairly easily in water too. Keep us updated!

 

[roberthu]

OP, it's an underrated tree in my opinion. Seems like they are cheaper than other comparable tropical variants. Lovely leaves and a fast grower.

Mine seems to have many fine feeder roots near the surface, literally one particle deep. Maybe it’s my imagination but mine seems to be doing better after I put a layer of moss down on top to help keep those roots moist.

Cuttings can be rooted fairly easily in water too. Keep us updated!

Thank you!
I saw a lot of fine roots too. Very few thick roots. The ones I had to remove were probably trunks in the past before it was rooted.
I love the foliage too. The texture, color and shape are all lovely. I did put a layer of sphagnum moss on top to keep the soil evenly moist. So far I haven’t seen anything alarming so I am not too concerned. We are still going to have about a month of 80F ish days so it should be fine.
I did put a few cuttings in a cup of water. Fingers crossed!

 

[Forsoothe!]

Absolutely. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the perfect, never changing weather of the Garden of Eden doesn't exist anywhere. There is a growing season and an off-season everywhere. In places where there is no winter there is still a change in weather, usually a wet season and a dry season caused by the winds changing direction. On-shore winds pickup humidity over the water and dump it as the air passes over land that rises. The air cools 3 to 5 degrees F for every 1,000 feet increase. The air also cools significantly late in the day and at dusk. When the air is at high humanities as it is over a warm sea it doesn't take a very big drop in temperature to rain, so rain late in the day like clockwork in tropics is very common near the sea (in the wet season). The reverse is true in a dry season where the winds blow from the highlands or mountains downward. The increase in temperature of 3 to 5 degrees per 1,000 feet dry the air quickly. The middles of all great continents are dry, and lands in the path of prevailing winds over water get rain. Geography is weather and is inescapable.

I should have said "geography is climate". Weather is local and variable within a climate.