Thinking of moving small Shimpaku Junipers and a Cedar from a 5" pot to an 8" bonsai pot. Is there a rule of thumb for how fast they might grow?
Separately, I am debating putting the Cedar into a large pot to get the trunk to thicken, but I'm not sure how large is necessary of if it really needs to be in the ground?
Thanks!
Soil depth is important so that your force the roots of the tree to grow horizontally not vertically. This helps with surface roots (nebari). If you use the plastic pot in your link then your tree roots might grow straight down like a carrot. Think trying to put a carrot into a Bonsai pot, going to be pretty hard with out killing the carrot. If the roots are already growing horizontally then your going to have a much easier time trying to get a tree into a Bonsai pot. Eastern Leaf is good. You know you can make your own growing pots by the way. All you need is some lumber and deck screws. Just make sure to have some holes in the bottom for drainage.
Glad I already had a good understanding of the weather. Thank you so much for all the info! I didn't know that about the depth in a pot not being an issue. The soil info is also awesome.
All my trees are deciduous and are going in my external storage so they should be good. I had a maple that survived well in the same manner in this complex so I think I am in a good place.
As for the soil, getting the mixes from Eastern Leaf seems like the most viable option for me right now. Probably not the most cost effective, but getting into this now...better to take some of the stress out of the equation for the time being. Their general pot soil works fine for my smaller trees. I imagine the mushroom compound would be a great additive for the large grow.
I will look into the classes. I for sure am considering taking a course or two because why not.
The cedar should not be left outside during the winter, keep it in the garage, it does not need light during the winter, make sure you water it often. The pot above is certainly big enough for growth, but it is the wrong type of pot. You want a short, not tall, but wide pot. Anderson pots are widely used for growing Bonsai trees for growth purposes. Here is a link to a store that sells them: Anderson Pots You want the 15" x 15" square pots, which are called "Anderson Plant Band Trays", specifically "AFLAT5". This will allow you to repot your tree and spread the roots out horizontally to create nebari and still grow out the tree. You may want to place a ceramic tile under the roots to help in developing the nebari. You should cut a piece of screening material to put in the Anderson pot. As for soil, you want fast draining soil. You can buy a bag of pumice from the club, you will have to shop around for some scoria which is a reddish/blackish volcanic rock, some people like akadama and others like Turface (Ewing Pluming Supply) for our area. You will need a bag of mushroom compost from Lowes/Home Depot. Mushroom compost is the only organic in your soil mix, no dirt of any kind. I have no idea on where you can get akadama. Mix around 1/3 of each ingredient for the soil and add mushroom compost, some not a lot. There's your soil. Wire the tree to the pot so it does not move around on you, very important for tree survival. Fertilize heavily during the growing season. Finally good luck. Take your tree to any RMBS study group that may be offered in the future for in person advice. Cherry should go in the garage, not outside in the winter.
I am in your area so this is great! Thank you!
Yeah I think because I am in an apartment I will get a couple large capacity pots. One for each of a couple trees. Might do one for the juniper, one for the cedar, and a third maybe for a Yoshino cherry.
I assume a large large pot will work similarly when sizing up a plant quickly, or at least better than an 8" pot.
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It is Cedrus Deodara Prostrate Beauty - Himalayan I think
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This pot looks solid. Small than I envisioned. Now just to figure out soil that won't break the bank.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Southern-Patio-22-44-x-22-44-in-Rustic-Oak-Resin-Bucket-Barrel-HDR-023395/205626595
The bigger the pot the better, if you want size, plant them in a really big pot. Put some movement in the trunks if they don't already have some. Fertilize heavily. The Shimpaku can spend the winter sunk into the ground out of wind. Not sure about cedar until we know what type of cedar it is. This advice is for Colorado Denver metro area, other states may be different. Living in the mountains is completely different.