Reporting JBP from sandy soil?

[SeanS]

I recently bought 2 x 3-4 year old JBP seedlings from a local bonsai nursery which are in terribly fine sandy soil. I’ll be reporting them in spring (it’s winter here now, souther hemisphere). How do treat them during the repot? I’d like to get them out of the bad nursery dirt and will be putting them into a 1:1 akadama/LECA mix, but am unsure how to go about getting them out of the nursery soil? Do I do a HBR or are they still young enough that I can barefoot them and get most of the sand out of the roots?

 

[Shibui]

Not sure as I can't see the tree to assess its age or health. all I can see is the base of a trunk!
If they were mine here I would not hesitate to shake off all the nursery soil, trim roots as required and repot straight into my chosen mix. I don't find JBP to be temperamental at all here. I don't know any growers in Aus that do HBR. Everyone just repots pines like most other trees.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

As long as you don't have freezing temps, the best time to repot JBP is in the late winter when the tree is dormant just before it wakes up. In SoCal I would usually repot in late December, because many of my trees would start waking up in February.

 

[Shibui]

There must be a long window because I routinely repot my pines after I've finished all the deciduous - usually mid spring here and have not noticed any particular problems from root pruning pines later.

 

[Beanwagon]

 

[Bonsai Nut]

There must be a long window because I routinely repot my pines after I've finished all the deciduous - usually mid spring here and have not noticed any particular problems from root pruning pines later.

I repot my multi-flush pines early in the season so that it won't impact candle removal in June. I don't touch my multi-flush pines until after the candles have been cut and the new growth has hardened in late summer (in the window prior to cool fall weather). This is for trees that are already in bonsai soil. You can also repot pines in the spring if you aren't touching the candles (for both multi-flush and single-flush pines). However I would not both recommend repotting in the spring AND candle work at the same time.

 

[SeanS]

I repot my multi-flush pines early in the season so that it won't impact candle removal in June. I don't touch my multi-flush pines until after the candles have been cut and the new growth has hardened in late summer (in the window prior to cool fall weather). This is for trees that are already in bonsai soil. You can also repot pines in the spring if you aren't touching the candles (for both multi-flush and single-flush pines). However I would not both recommend repotting in the spring AND candle work at the same time.

Mine are mere saplings and are far from being decandled. I just need to get them out of the crappy sand and into a proper mix so I can pump them up over the next few years.

My other 2 JBP (which were coming into their 4th growing seasons) started extending needles in late September last year, so I’ll plan to repot in late August this season in my climate.

 

[ChristianDGreat]

I wonder what kind of sand is this

 

[Beanwagon]

I wonder what kind of sand is this

No idea! Black pinrs evolved in coastal area's i understand? So it would make sense that they would react well to sand?

Im purely speculating

 

[SeanS]

Follow up on my sandy soil situation.

The roots on these 2 trees were terrible! A few long circling roots with very few feeders. I was pretty aggressive and removed all the sandy loam, and repotted into 1:1 akadama:LECA. They’re growing well and had some nice healthy candle extensions. Needles are out now and the trees are looking happy with new buds popping in some areas.

These were not seedling cuttings so that explains the poor roots, the sand just made them run long and circle the nursery bags, adding to the poor initial rootage.

 

[SeanS]

Follow up on my sandy soil situation.

The roots on these 2 trees were terrible! A few long circling roots with very few feeders. I was pretty aggressive and removed all the sandy loam, and repotted into 1:1 akadama:LECA. They’re growing well and had some nice healthy candle extensions. Needles are out now and the trees are looking happy with new buds popping in some areas.

These were not seedling cuttings so that explains the poor roots, the sand just made them run long and circle the nursery bags, adding to the poor initial rootage

 

[Potawatomi13]

Crapadama is crap but what is LECA? Any root pruning done.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

No idea! Black pinrs evolved in coastal area's i understand? So it would make sense that they would react well to sand?

Im purely speculating

Yes they grow in sandy coastlines, but sand drains better in the ground than in a pot. Sand is a terrible medium for growing pines in pots.

 

[SeanS]

Crapadama is crap but what is LECA? Any root pruning done.

Yes root work was done. The 2 trees that came in the sandy loan seem to be doing ok.




My other 2 JBP in the same akadama:crushed LECA mix also seem happy since being repotted on 25 August

 

[Beanwagon]

Yes they grow in sandy coastlines, but sand drains better in the ground than in a pot. Sand is a terrible medium for growing pines in pots.

Can you explain why?

I have seen differing opinions