When is it necessary to bare root or leave some dirt?

[Bonsaithusiast]

I have a Calliandra or what they call it here "carbonero", this tree was bought in a nursery, but the soil has no water retaining abilities whatsoever, its made up of rice husks, cow manure, and some sand(its also very hydrophobic). This tree loves sun, but how can i keep this tree from drying if sun is its best friend. I tried putting it under the shade and still drys out in a day. We've been getting heat and no rain lately and i got careless for 1 day and now the leaves are withering away but luckily this tree can be pretty hardy and if i water it, it'll spring back to life. The real question is when do i know when to bare root repot a tree or leave some dirt. It doesn't need root pruning i just need to change the soil it has because its a complete tree killer. I know what soil im going to use but when is it a good idea to bare root a tree, i always get butterflies in my stomach when it comes to roots or root pruning etc. Maybe a little enlightenment can help alleviate some doubts within me, so that would be very helpful. (I killed a variegated Ficus tree with a nice and tall trunk, with almost a mushroom cap shaped foliage, very beautiful developing nebari and I hate myself for that Because I had a beginner moment and pruned what looked like too much roots when in reality it didn't need root pruning at all, if only an intermediate or Professional Bonsai enthusiast saw what I did to that poor tree, I would probably be blacklisted from Bonsai That will forever be in my head) I did research like never before and I am really sure i could do another educated root pruning.

 

[19Mateo83]

Does the soil drain well?

 

[hampton]

Does the soil drain well?

Additionally how frequently are you able to water? If you can get to it once a day I might top dress the pot with sphagnum moss and look to repot in the spring.

 

[19Mateo83]

You want the soil to be moist but not wet. If it drains well I would top dress with moss and let it ride till next spring. I would not recommend reporting out of season…. Especially bare rooting. That’s the easiest way to end up with a dead tree. You can however plant the whole thing into a larger pot, nursery can and all and that should help with retaining moisture.

 

[Shibui]

watering once a day in hot weather is bare minimum. Most growers water twice a day through summer and sometimes 3 times in hot, dry weather depending on species, soil, pot size, etc.

We all have soil type we favour and I am all in favour of getting trees into that soil you are used to to make care easier.
It sounds like you have had one bad experience which obviously makes you more wary for future repots. I am surprised that a ficus died from repotting. Usually they can be hacked and still come back strong but maybe it was Ficus benjamina which is known to be a bit less forgiving. Otherwise I suspect something else causing the previous demise but the root prune gets the blame.
In general trees are far more resilient to root reduction and bare rooting than many people give credit for. In most cases simply bare rooting (shake off soil but don't wash roots) and replacing the soil is no problem. Most species will also survive minimum root reduction at any time of year in my experience. Most plant experts encourage us to tease out pot bound roots when planting potted trees into the ground any time of year. There's always some root breakage in that process and the trees are still expected to survive and thrive so our bonsai can also survive minimum root pruning or change of soil, even out of season.
Obviously there are better times of year. Spring in temperate climates because weather is generally mild. Tropical climes don't have spring and many growers find they can root prune and repot most of the year provided they follow up with good watering and shade during the dry season.

 

[leatherback]

All good points above.

One thing I have missed: The soil might be so dried out at this point that watering does not help. At that point, try what happens if you take a large deepish dish and put the pot in this. Water well, to the point that the dish below fills with water, and let it sit for half a day. Let is soak up the water, and refill the dish when it is drained. (Full submerging for 10 minutes also helps, but that very much compacts the rootball, and is not my preferred method.

Also, watering twice in 15 minute interval with slightly warm water can help make it absorp the water properly again.

 

[Bonsaithusiast]

Does the soil drain well? The soil does not in fact drain well, it pools on the surface. It also seems that there is a radius where it gets wet and getting closer the the roots and trunk i dig with my finger and its bone dry down , What im trying to say is that it only gets wet around the edges and the top layer, the core stays dry.

 

[Bonsaithusiast]

watering once a day in hot weather is bare minimum. Most growers water twice a day through summer and sometimes 3 times in hot, dry weather depending on species, soil, pot size, etc.

We all have soil type we favour and I am all in favour of getting trees into that soil you are used to to make care easier.
It sounds like you have had one bad experience which obviously makes you more wary for future repots. I am surprised that a ficus died from repotting. Usually they can be hacked and still come back strong but maybe it was Ficus benjamina which is known to be a bit less forgiving. Otherwise I suspect something else causing the previous demise but the root prune gets the blame.
In general trees are far more resilient to root reduction and bare rooting than many people give credit for. In most cases simply bare rooting (shake off soil but don't wash roots) and replacing the soil is no problem. Most species will also survive minimum root reduction at any time of year in my experience. Most plant experts encourage us to tease out pot bound roots when planting potted trees into the ground any time of year. There's always some root breakage in that process and the trees are still expected to survive and thrive so our bonsai can also survive minimum root pruning or change of soil, even out of season.
Obviously there are better times of year. Spring in temperate climates because weather is generally mild. Tropical climes don't have spring and many growers find they can root prune and repot most of the year provided they follow up with good watering and shade during the dry season.

exactly, I live in tropical climates where right now weather is acting up due to El Niño or whatever because Its supposed to be dry season but its seems rainy season has come early. Off topic but yeah, ill be keeping this in mind and ill try to think this out and see what i can do, right now its recovering from lack of watering so I will definitely let it recover and see what i can do. Thanks

 

[Srt8madness]

Is this tree a true tropical? Summer is fine for repotting true tropicals.