Zelkova repotting

[Stormygail57]

I bought a small Zelkova, it came in a 4 inch pot. It was really pot bound and not retaining any water. I loosen the roots and pulled out hard gravel it was bound around and put it in a 6 inch pot with Bonsai soil mixed with a little organic soil. It has not recovered in a 4 hours. I suppose this is shock!

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy!

Where is it kept?

Sorce

 

[just.wing.it]

Welcome to the nut house...
Root work should be done before leaves open...
Might bounce back, but all the leaves will probably fall off.

 

[bwaynef]

Nothing in bonsai is measured in 4 hours.

 

[0soyoung]

Nothing in bonsai is measured in 4 hours.

Moderate/maintenance (re)styling.

 

[Stormygail57]

I live in Florida. I potted it because it was so rootbound. I barely touched the roots, just to untangle a little and get the gravel out. I keep it on my porch with plenty of light. Faces West. The soil it was in was some large gravel with a little bonsai on top. It kept wilting and I had to keep misting or watering it. It is very hot down here. it was in a 4inch pot with only half filled with rock and roots. I can handle the leaves falling off, I just dont want it to die.

 

[Stormygail57]

Welcome to Crazy!

Where is it kept?

Sorce

On my porch that face west.

 

[sorce]

I had a problem on a west facing spot due to late hot heat...

Its a rough spot in this situation....

Sorce

 

[Stormygail57]

I had a problem on a west facing spot due to late hot heat...

Its a rough spot in this situation....

Sorce

My porch is screened and I lower my blinds in the evening to keep the sun out and off my furniture. Definitely hot but no sun shining in.

 

[milehigh_7]

Nothing in bonsai is measured in 4 hours.

Maybe complete death in the Las Vegas sun! *cry*

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I just dont want it to die.

Welcome to the site!

Any time you disturb roots, you are going to impact the tree's ability to take up water. In the summer, particularly during times of hot sun or hot dry wind, a tree's vascular system may have difficulty keeping up with the transpiration rate from the leaves. If you do an emergency (out of season) repot on a tree, it is really important that you protect the tree from sun and dry weather until the roots have a chance to recover. In southern California, my zelkovas are under shade cloth all year long - even when they have had no root work done that season. Make sure you protect your tree or it will dry up and you will lose all the leaves - and it may die if it tries to push a new round of growth and that growth burns up as well.

 

[Stormygail57]

Welcome to the site!

Any time you disturb roots, you are going to impact the tree's ability to take up water. In the summer, particularly during times of hot sun or hot dry wind, a tree's vascular system may have difficulty keeping up with the transpiration rate from the leaves. If you do an emergency (out of season) repot on a tree, it is really important that you protect the tree from sun and dry weather until the roots have a chance to recover. In southern California, my zelkovas are under shade cloth all year long - even when they have had no root work done that season. Make sure you protect your tree or it will dry up and you will lose all the leaves - and it may die if it tries to push a new round of growth and that growth burns up as well.

 

[Stormygail57]

Thank you, Florida is hot also. I brought it inside on my porch as soon as I repotted it, I didnt cut any of the roots , just barely loosened them and added soil. I think the leaves will fall they have dried up. Sorry that I tried to give it some soil. Darn I hate buying from others when they cant at least have some soil in a 4 inch pot. It had about 2 inches of roots and some gravel. wish I had taken a before picture. I guess I will protect my next Zelkova better, now that I learned the hard way. Really like those trees. Anytime I do anything to my trees they go to the porch to recover. Thanks for info. Maybe it will survive.

 

[Johnnyd]

Welcome to the site!

Any time you disturb roots, you are going to impact the tree's ability to take up water. In the summer, particularly during times of hot sun or hot dry wind, a tree's vascular system may have difficulty keeping up with the transpiration rate from the leaves. If you do an emergency (out of season) repot on a tree, it is really important that you protect the tree from sun and dry weather until the roots have a chance to recover. In southern California, my zelkovas are under shade cloth all year long - even when they have had no root work done that season. Make sure you protect your tree or it will dry up and you will lose all the leaves - and it may die if it tries to push a new round of growth and that growth burns up as well.

Unfortunately I found this thread after I slip potted my trident that was pot bound due to compacted soil. I am glad I found the information about placing it in the shade. How long should I keep it in the shade? Thank you!

 

[Adair M]

On another thread today, I mentioned that being potbound is not an emergency. Trees can be potbound for years! As long as they get sufficient water and fertilizer, they will be ok.

What can be, and usually is fatal, is a badly timed attempt to do an emergency repot!

The correct course is to increase the frequency of watering if the potbound tree is wilting due to lack of water. And/or put a layer of spaghnum moss on the surface of the rootball. This will help retain water.

Any attempt to “loosen” roots will damage them,and their ability to uptake water will be further impaired.

Instead, wait until the next repotting time, which for Zelkova is spring, just as the dormant buds are beginning to swell. At that time, you can cut a great deal of the existing roots off! And the tree will send out fresh roots into the new soil.

 

[0soyoung]

Instead, wait until the next repotting time, which for Zelkova is spring, just as the dormant buds are beginning to swell.

August/September (i.e, between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox) was fine for repotting when I first did it back in 2013. I've continued doing it every year since, with the same results that are indistinguishable from spring, 'as buds swell'.
Furthermore, I've found that it (Aug/Sep) is just as good a time to ground layer Zelkovas as is spring, 'as buds swell'.

Again, my repotting methodology is to completely bare root, combing and trimming using the bottom of the pot as a template. Then wire back into the original pot of substrate.

 

[Lazylightningny]

August/September (i.e, between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox) was fine for repotting when I first did it back in 2013. I've continued doing it every year since, with the same results that are indistinguishable from spring, 'as buds swell'.
Furthermore, I've found that it (Aug/Sep) is just as good a time to ground layer Zelkovas as is spring, 'as buds swell'.

Again, my repotting methodology is to completely bare root, combing and trimming using the bottom of the pot as a template. Then wire back into the original pot of substrate.

I thought you didn't trim the roots or is that only for new nursery plants?

 

[Adair M]

August/September (i.e, between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox) was fine for repotting when I first did it back in 2013. I've continued doing it every year since, with the same results that are indistinguishable from spring, 'as buds swell'.
Furthermore, I've found that it (Aug/Sep) is just as good a time to ground layer Zelkovas as is spring, 'as buds swell'.

Again, my repotting methodology is to completely bare root, combing and trimming using the bottom of the pot as a template. Then wire back into the original pot of substrate.

Oso, you live in the Pacific Northwest, right? Where nights are cool in summer? High humidity? Seems like it rains there a lot? You may be able to get away with your repotting schedule.

But it seems this dude did his in the height of the heat of summer.

But, the primary point I was trying to make is: Potbound Is Not An Emergency.

Tree falls off the bench and the pot breaks, yeah, that’s an emergency. Discover you have bad root rot? An emergency.

Potbound? Nope. Not an emergency.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Potbound? Nope. Not an emergency.

Agreed. Potboud? An opportunity to hone watering skills. Trees live for centuries with roots confined to rock clefts.

 

[0soyoung]

Oso, you live in the Pacific Northwest, right? Where nights are cool in summer? High humidity? Seems like it rains there a lot? You may be able to get away with your repotting schedule.

No, no, no. It is because I am a horticultural genius!

On this much we agree:
Bud break to a bit after the summer solstice = bad time to mess with roots --> no repotting.
Potbound is not an emergency.