AusBonsai

Hey guys,

Firstly thanks for being helpful!
I have a couple questions on a few diff topics so I thought I would just lump them all into 1 thread...

1) On the weekend I bought my first 2 pieces of advanced stock. A juniper and a Trident Maple, my first question is this morning I wanted to check and see the status of the root ball and I gave a tug on the trunk and as I suspected root bound... Now I want to develop the trunk more so I actually had the foresight to buy a bunch of bigger pots of varied sizes, now the question is I have read that there can be a risk of over potting. Currently they are in 250mm pots and I have 300mm and 410mm available, am I over potting moving up to the 410?

2) The advanced stock juniper I bought also came tied to a stake, would it be wise to remove the stake as to allow the trunk to develop better having to hold its own weight? I am at work now but I would hazard a guess that it is probably in the ballpark of 70-80 cm from base to tip?

3) I have a small juniper that I have had for a month and a half, its only a small little weeny thing at the moment but when I got it I gave it some fert to feed it and probably 5-6 weeks later I can still see the osmocote balls sitting on top of the soil. Is this normal? I have read to feed things normally fortnightly, should I leave it alone or should I feed it more? I am very proactive with my watering!

Cheers,
R

G'day R.

I'll have a crack at these ones for you..

1. Not exactly sure about this "over potting" idea? I'd like to read about this though!
If there is such a thing as over - potting what would you call putting a tree into the ground?
It has always been my understanding that a tree in a larger pot has more room to grow unhindered and will subsequently experienced improved growth.

I have many of my tree's either in the ground, growing pots or larger pots to promote growth..
The smaller the pot the less a tree will grow.

2. I think advise on this one would be best with a few pictures.

3. Osmocote is a slow release fertilizer. This can be mixed into the soil or can be sprinkled on top of the soil surface. Osmocote is actually a "slow release" fertilizer. This means that the outer shell of the product disolves in time and releases the nutrients to the plant. You can see what I mean by breaking some of the balls - it contains a powdery substance inside..

When you are actually feeding a tree with Osmocote your actually not really immediately feeding it..!?
Reason being that this will take time to break down and release the payload..

A liquid or more readily available mix like Dynamic Lifter will provide results sooner rather than later.

Lets see what some others have to say..

Boics wrote:G'day R.

I'll have a crack at these ones for you..

1. Not exactly sure about this "over potting" idea? I'd like to read about this though!
If there is such a thing as over - potting what would you call putting a tree into the ground?
It has always been my understanding that a tree in a larger pot has more room to grow unhindered and will subsequently experienced improved growth.

I have many of my tree's either in the ground, growing pots or larger pots to promote growth..
The smaller the pot the less a tree will grow.

2. I think advise on this one would be best with a few pictures.

3. Osmocote is a slow release fertilizer. This can be mixed into the soil or can be sprinkled on top of the soil surface. Osmocote is actually a "slow release" fertilizer. This means that the outer shell of the product disolves in time and releases the nutrients to the plant. You can see what I mean by breaking some of the balls - it contains a powdery substance inside..

When you are actually feeding a tree with Osmocote your actually not really immediately feeding it..!?
Reason being that this will take time to break down and release the payload..

A liquid or more readily available mix like Dynamic Lifter will provide results sooner rather than later.

Lets see what some others have to say..

Hey Boics,

Re: Overpotting, from what I remember it has to do with the water absorbtion when you put a tree in a pot that is too big the roots will take in what it can take.... the sun will evaporate a certain amount and then the rest of the soil will remain forever damp and increase the breakdown of the soil. There are other reasons as well that escape me at the moment

###EDIT#### link found http://www.bonsai4me.com/Basics/Basics% ... otting.htm


I hope this works

So should i be using a liquid in combination to the slow release?

R

The trident looks very hungry, it should be covered in new growth at this time of year. I wouldn't transplant it now but rather mulch it with dynamic lifter and try to get some growth before autumn then repot it at the end of winter. There is really no problem with a plant being pot bound if you can get food and water into it. The juniper could be moved on into a bigger pot or pruned hard and fed.
Craigw

craigw60 wrote:The trident looks very hungry, it should be covered in new growth at this time of year. I wouldn't transplant it now but rather mulch it with dynamic lifter and try to get some growth before autumn then repot it at the end of winter. There is really no problem with a plant being pot bound if you can get food and water into it. The juniper could be moved on into a bigger pot or pruned hard and fed.
Craigw

The juniper also is tied to a stake should I remove the stake to encourage a thicker trunk?

Rhuumz wrote:
###EDIT#### link found http://www.bonsai4me.com/Basics/Basics% ... otting.htm

So should i be using a liquid in combination to the slow release?

Thanks for the link - makes for some very interesting reading.
Maybe even 1 or 2 tree's in my possession that fit into the overpotting category!
You learn a new thing every day!

I always have a small amount of slow release within my Bonsai soil mix..

In addition to this I use on my trees (in varying quantities) every couple of weeks.
Charlie Carp, Seasol and Dynamic Lifter - usually rotating between all 3.

When people refer to fertilising every few weeks to my knowledge they are not referring to sprinkling Osmocote.
My only concern would be if you have continually been feeding with Osmocote that you may be on the verge of providing too much.

As far as your trident goes I agree that it is either hungry or very possible it has seen a bit too much sun of late.
My tridents are brilliant green at this time of year and look very healthy.

Btw the Juniper looks like a beauty!

The juniper also is tied to a stake should I remove the stake to encourage a thicker trunk?[/quote]

Depends on how stable it is without the stake. Some wire would help stability also. When do you plan on styling the juniper as I would suggest waiting until then-less foliage=less top heavy etc more unlikely to droop/break without the stake.
Re the trident: I think if you decide to repot it should be slip-potted (try not to disturb root ball) but again there is no harm leaving as is. Feed with a combination of slow and quick fertilisers. Ask any of the staff at bonsai south and they should be able to help you.
When they are in growing pots is tend to add a good layer of mulch-adds organic material and aids in plant hydration. Not sure whether its right or wrong in bonsai ...

The reason for the stake is that the the plant is a prostrate grower normally, so it has to be trained to grow up right to make it more appealing to the buyer for Bonsai.
Also to stop the awful bend that is usually associated with prostrate plants in pots.

Liquid fertilisers act faster that solids, osmocote and all slow release (except natural ones) have a polymer coating that has been treated to release there contents over time.

These are affected by temperature and water. Using Liquid and solids is OK as solids are usually slow release and if the temp is too low they are not working. Organic ferts need mycobacteria to break down the nutrients.
When the temps get down below around 18/19 they go dormant so the fertilise just sits there. These by the way are SOIL temps not atmospheric.

Pup cheers Oi Oi Oi

Hi Rhuumz,
Interesting and quite common questions so here are my thoughts on these matters.

1. overpotting - can be a problem but my experience is only with substandard potting mix. Last season I potted banksias from 10 cm pots into 20 and 30 cm pots. all have grown well. I think it depends on having good, free draining mix so the waterlogging cannot become an issue.
A problem with slip potting root bound trees is the difference in density between the new mix and the old, root packed rootball so water can have difficulty penetrating from the new mix into the old section. Tridents are pretty tough so might cope but my inclination is the same as Craig W - If you think you can keep the water into the packed rootball ( soak the pot weekly?) leave it as it is and feed well this season. It should have a severe root prune next winter anyway so potting on now seems a bit of a waste.

2. As Pup says these junipers are often sold this way. Another reason for the stake is the trunk is wound round it to grow a trunk with some bends and movement. The trunk should be well set by now so you can remove the stake but it will not make any difference to trunk thickness. If you remove the stake and the tree starts to tip over remove some of the top which will have to go eventually anyway.

3. Osmocote has a coating that does not break down. The fert inside filters slowly through the skin to give slow release. The balls will still be there for several years even when they are empty. Osmocote comes in different release times. I use a 12-18 month release but much shorter ones are generally sold retail. Have a look at the packet to find out how long the one you have is supposed to last. osmocote works best when it is buried in the damp soil. on the surface where it is mostly dry it cannot release the nutrients. Best application is by dibbling holes in the mix with a stick and pouring the prills in then cover. Osmocote is slow release and is applied once or twice per year depending on the release period of the one you have. We have shown that supplementary feeding gives increased growth over just osmocote in most cases (look for a thread by Grant Bowie) so you can apply another type of fert regularly over the growing season. I use a liquid feed every 3-4 weeks as well as the osmocote and occasional applications of dynamic lifter. Different ferts give different nutrients so variety is good for the trees.

Fantastic response Shibui.

Thanks so march for imparting your wisdom on us mere mortals

Much appreciated.