AusBonsai

is there a basic repotting timetable for Australian grown trees?
Or is it too complex of a subject to put into an easily understood timetable?

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Hi Fishnfreak

Great question

There is no timetable for repotting. The only time you should repot is when the plant is completely rootbound and can no longer take in nutrients or water, or when all the soil has been washed out of the pot or finally any time you wish to change the style of the plant. If the tree is happy and healthy keep doing what you are doing and enjoy it.

colins wrote:There is no timetable for repotting. The only time you should repot is when the plant is completely rootbound and can no longer take in nutrients or water, or when all the soil has been washed out of the pot or finally any time you wish to change the style of the plant. If the tree is happy and healthy keep doing what you are doing and enjoy it.

Is this a joke?

colins wrote:There is no timetable for repotting.

Mmmm, I'm not so sure.
I wouldn't repot a Japanese maple in summer just as I wouldn't repot most natives in winter - that doesn't mean you can't and not result in death of the tree, it just means that the "timing" of repotting to maximise success and maintain tree health is often seasonally dependant and therefore I think there IS a timetable of sorts.
The difficulty is that, particularly in Australia with huge variabilities in climate, how to generate a definitive timetable that works for everyone is a pretty impossible task - my timetable of repotting would be quite different to others further north (or even south... or west!) ... What I'm saying is, it's local to your area depending on your climactic conditions.

Beano wrote:

colins wrote:There is no timetable for repotting. The only time you should repot is when the plant is completely rootbound and can no longer take in nutrients or water, or when all the soil has been washed out of the pot or finally any time you wish to change the style of the plant. If the tree is happy and healthy keep doing what you are doing and enjoy it.

Is this a joke?

Hmm, this sounds like something I heard recently. Was it from a Ryan Neil video? Probably makes sense for a "finished" tree in maintenance mode but you'd still need to repot at the right time of year (unless was an emergency repot).

Perhaps what fishnfreak is asking is about particular classes of tree such as deciduous vs pines or maples vs prunus and general timing such as summer vs winter or dormant vs growing vigourously? Have I got this right?

I remember Ray M putting together a decent guide.
Search the forums to see what you can locate.
There is also a bunch of information in the Wiki.

Boics wrote:I remember Ray M putting together a decent guide.
Search the forums to see what you can locate.
There is also a bunch of information in the Wiki.

Here you go: Repotting Guide

you're a star, Jarad, thanks.

Well done Jarad.
That's the one!

Crabs, quinces, crape myrtle, cherries and other fast growing flowering trees should be repotted every year for the first 15 years or so. Later every 2 years. Every 3 years is too long. If they don't need repotting then, the pot is too big.
Young natives like strong growing mels should also be done every year until the tree is quite old. If you leave it longer you just slow down the development.
Japanese maples every 2 or 3 years. In Australia, early autumn is just as good as spring for many cold climate trees. Aussie trees are probably best in late spring when the average temp is 25 or so.
Don't listen too much to what the Americans say.

Thanks treeman, appreciate your post on repotting frequency. Have filed away for future reference