Repotting Sekka Hinoki

[MGTT]

FWIW, it is a way better tree than I got from Int Bonsai a few years ago!

My limited experience has been -
-I've put it outside when I feel comfortable putting in-leaf Maples outside. When 'inside', it's been in a quasi-greenhouse where the temps are ~10F warmer than outside, and it gets shaded sunlight.
-In earlier years, I had it in major sun exposure in MI. I had a lot of branch dieback and generally poor growth.
-Last year I placed them (I got a few more seedlings) in some fairly substantial shade (about 2-3hrs of full sun, the rest was shade), and saw much better results, so I intend on doing the same this year.
-Also, I did keep them fairly moist last year, which seemed to help - not sure of the contribution of the moisture and sun. I suspect both helped, but I'm not certain.

-When the foliage turns yellow/brown, they are 'done', at least for me they were. I let it go for a while, but no budding/regrowth. I eventually cut the branches off/back. Moving forward, I won't 'hope' for regrowth, I'll trim immediately to open up the tree.

I realize others have suggested other conditions, but I'm providing what my experience has been in the Mid-West US.

 

[acj990]

Being in the Midwest, your reply is very helpful. Thank you!

 

[opus1]

Reviving this thread, as I just reported a Sekka I had purchased from Int’l Bonsai back in Feb. Upon arrival, it appeared the box was fine but upon opening up, the tree had been through a lot, much of the soil displaced and it was in need of potting up. I put it into a rather deep pot I had available and over the past few weeks much of the foliage has gotten dried up. I kept the majority of the soil it’d been in and added lava, akadama and pumice to fill the remainder of the pot. I’ve been doing the bonsai shuffle on nice days but the majority of the time it’s been in an unheated garage under grow lights. After the repot I didn’t want to just put it outside even on mildly warm days (50’s in Iowa). I’m hoping a mix of warmer sun filled days and water can help but any thoughts would be appreciated. Cheers.

Sorry for the late reply—I’ve been busy and haven’t logged into this site in a while.

It’s hard to say for sure without seeing the tree, pot size, soil mix, and environment, but I’ll share what I can.

Sekka Hinoki typically starts growing once temperatures are consistently above 60°F (15°C), so maintaining the right conditions is important.
If you're keeping it indoors, you’ll need a strong grow light—around 50,000 lux or 800–1,000 PPFD at leaf height. But that level of light can be costly in terms of both equipment and electricity.

From what I’ve searched, Iowa’s climate actually seems pretty suitable for bonsai—decent temperatures and humidity. You could likely keep it outdoors most of the time.

If you're concerned about cold winter air, setting up a small greenhouse would be a great idea—it can make a big difference, especially in protecting the tree from harsh winds.

Sekka Hinoki can suffer leaf burn and dieback if exposed to intense direct sunlight during the hot summer months.

So it's better to grow it in a greenhouse or under shade cloth(30~50%) rather than keeping it outdoors in midsummer.

For other care tips, feel free to refer back to the points I mentioned before.

 

[opus1]

Today, I repotted some of my Sekka Hinoki trees.

This particular one is already a finished tree, so it didn’t need any further development.

I simply removed the moss from the surface and moved it into a pot that suits it better.

 

[opus1]

These trees still need to fill out with more foliage, so I’ve moved them into large plastic pots to promote root development and overall vigor.

Plastic pots are great because you can drill holes—like in the photo—to easily attach guy wires.

While "coil" wiring is good for creating curves, it can sometimes get in the way of new shoots and leaves.

So for now, I’m focusing on building up the tree’s strength, using guy wires to set a rough shape.

Once the tree has filled out with enough foliage, I’ll gradually refine the curves with "coil" wiring.




Tree 1 -






Tree 2 -






Tree 3 -

 

[opus1]

Just wanted to give a quick update on the three Sekka Hinoki I’ve been working on.

In the photo below, you’ll see Tree #3, which was moved into a grow pot about a month ago.

Trees #1 and #2 were repotted last spring, so they’ve had a head start—and it shows. Both are pushing lots of fresh growth, while Tree #3 is just starting to put out some new shoots.

I had to take off a fair amount of root mass when repotting Tree #3, so it makes sense that it's been a bit slower to bounce back.






Here’s a quick snapshot of how each one is progressing:


Tree #1
2023.05.04 → 2023.08.05 → 2023.11.19 → 2025.05.02
This tree has come a long way. The foliage is starting to fill in nicely, and with another year or two, it should look pretty solid.
The trunk is still on the thinner side though, so it’ll take some more time and patience to build up that girth.










Tree #2
2024.03.17 → 2024.03.17 → 2025.04.27
Probably the furthest along of the three in terms of overall development. I’m focusing on refining the branch structure and thickening the finer growth while keeping the silhouette balanced.








Tree #3
2023.10.28 → 2024.05.01 → 2025.04.27
In hindsight, I should’ve moved this one into a larger grow pot much earlier—if I had, it’d likely be further along by now. Still, I’m feeling good about its potential. Looking forward to seeing how it develops over the next few years.

 

[acj990]

Those are such great looking trees! Thanks for sharing the photos and insight into their process! Such a cool tree.

 

[opus1]

Those are such great looking trees! Thanks for sharing the photos and insight into their process! Such a cool tree.

Thanks!

I’ll share more in next time