Repotting months

[Beano]

Hi!

I’m pregnant again and due in late September. I’m just after some info on what trees can be repotted at what parts of winter/very early spring? I’m having a caesarean so heavy lifting will be out until November probably. Also Soon I won’t be in a fit state for lifting bags of pumice etc or any of the larger trees so I’m looking to get some repotted and root pruned now.

The trees currently dormant or near dormant at my house are:
- several crepe Myrtle, small and large
- two largish Ash (don’t know what kind but bought at Goodwood bonsai show in Adelaide)
- flowering plum (don’t know what variety but also bought from “Hugo” at the Goodwood show). I may want to see if it’s trunks are separate as it’s been planted as a triple trunk so there may be major root disturbance.
- grafted dwarf nectarine (“Nectazee”)
- shohin crabapples (floribunda air layers taken many years ago now).
- small ginkgo
- prunus mume (not quite dormant yet)
- English oak seedlings 3-4 years old
- small Beech

I think the crepes maybe need to wait until night temps are over 10 degrees but can I repot any of these other ones in the next month?

Thanks for any advice.


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[KIRKY]

Any of theses can be done now. Personally I would do the ones that are most in need of a repot. Followed by the bigger ones, then going down in size to make life easier for you. The beech and oaks can be left till the end.
If you run out of steam or time at least the ones most in need of a repot are done the others could wait until next year.
All the best.
Cheers
Kirky

[shibui]

I've started doing maples and crab apples early this year. I agree with Kirky. All should be OK, especially given Adelaide temps through winter.

[terryb]

The ash are probably desert ash (Fraxinus angustifolia) and you may want to get them out of the way early. They are often the first to bud out and always catch me by surprise. Many of my crab apples and Prunus haven't lost their leaves yet

[Beano]

Thanks everyone! I will start to move on some of them now.

I also need to ask about the hawthorns as I forgot about them. I have 3, 2 smallish and one huge one. None are dormant but the leaves are deteriorating on the one that gets the most cold wind. Even if they go dormant soon, is it safe to repot them or do they need to be done at bud swell time?

Terryb - My crabs went dormant about 3-4 weeks ago but they are small, in small pots and higher up on the display wall so probably get more cold wind than the lower down plants. Having said that, I have 2 step over malus (not bonsai, not crabs) that are still fully clothed in leaf and have only just started turning yellow on one or two leaves. All my prunus have been bare for 4 weeks (except the non-bonsai weeping cherry which only turned last week. Only one of the Ash is nearly ready, it’s higher up the wall too. The one on the ground is still green and lucious.

I suspect the difference at my house is the cold wind tunnel and the wall position of the bonsais meaning more circulating cold air (they’re on a slat wall) and less sun and heat per day as it’s in the western side of the yard.


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[shibui]

I've found hawthorn very forgiving. We dig wild ones any time from autumn through to spring and they seem to recover well so repotting yours now will be OK.
I've found that trees don't always need to have dropped leaves to be dormant. Chinese elm are one that does not always drop leaves but can still be be repotted without any trouble. Deciduous trees sold bare root in the nursery trade are routinely dug right at the start of autumn whether they've dropped leaves or not. Digging/repotting will usually cause the remaining leaves to drop so the trees will essentially be dormant within a few days of repotting.
The old, accepted window for repotting was considered very narrow - 'when buds swell' but many of us have discovered, through trial and error, that trees can actually cope well with root pruning over a much wider timeframe.

[Pearcy001]

Hi Beano,

If all else fails closer to the due date, seeking some assistance from your club can often be a viable option. We have an elderly couple in our club that we help repot all their trees every year. Thanks is normally supplied on the day with some home made scones for us haha. I'm sure (if you are part of one) your club may be able to help or put a callout in the club newsletter for someone that can.

Goodluck with both the trees and hope the pregnancy is a smooth one.

Cheers,
Pearcy.

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[terryb]

Terryb - My crabs went dormant about 3-4 weeks ago but they are small, in small pots and higher up on the display wall so probably get more cold wind than the lower down plants. Having said that, I have 2 step over malus (not bonsai, not crabs) that are still fully clothed in leaf and have only just started turning yellow on one or two leaves. All my prunus have been bare for 4 weeks (except the non-bonsai weeping cherry which only turned last week. Only one of the Ash is nearly ready, it’s higher up the wall too. The one on the ground is still green and lucious.

I suspect the difference at my house is the cold wind tunnel and the wall position of the bonsais meaning more circulating cold air (they’re on a slat wall) and less sun and heat per day as it’s in the western side of the yard.

You are right, microclimate make a big difference. All of my crab apples are young but are pretty well protected where they currently are. If trees are in ground or have roots that have escaped into the ground, they seem to hang on to their leaves much longer than potted specimens also.

[Beano]

No doubt that Ash on the ground will have… I tried to move it a few months ago and could not budge it…. Also one of the lower buds on it has turned into a vigorously growing fat branch taller than the tree itself . I wanted to keep it to help the bottom fatten up but I wasn’t expecting that!


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[Matt S]

Hi Beano,

Sacrifice branches on Ash can get tall very quickly. I have one in the ground that I cut back to a stump every year and it responds by sending up 3 meter shoots in one season. As terryb said, get into it quickly as they are usually the first to move.

Good luck with the pregnancy!

Matt.