AusBonsai

Hi all,
I'm pretty sure I know the answer but just to confirm if I wait till spring &
Cut back a little foliage & clean up the roots will this Japanese maple be ok in this smaller pot for good ?
Any advice would be great !

Thanks Ross

Late winter is when u should root prune . That pot is nice and will be fine but the tree will need repotted periodically for its health . If u just want to keep the tree and enjoy it as it is no problem or are u planning on turning this one into a bonsai ? Either way I would be getting a good free draining soil mix eg. Diatomite /pumice as the tree will be much more healthy. When repotting you can bare root this Japanese maple and wash all the old soil from the roots without any problems.
Paul

Paulneill wrote:Late winter is when u should root prune . That pot is nice and will be fine but the tree will need repotted periodically for its health . If u just want to keep the tree and enjoy it as it is no problem or are u planning on turning this one into a bonsai ? Either way I would be getting a good free draining soil mix eg. Diatomite /pumice as the tree will be much more healthy. When repotting you can bare root this Japanese maple and wash all the old soil from the roots without any problems.
Paul

Thanks for your advice...

This tree is going to stay as is I just spotted it in the nursery and thought it would look great in that pot
More than happy to repot it every couple of years to make sure it's happy just wasn't sure if the pot was too shallow.

Cheers Ross

that pot is plenty big enough

Your maple will be ok in that pot BUT it will need LOTS of attention:
-regular trimming or it will grow too big and require more water than the pot can hold (and look unbalanced);
-watering to keep it hydrated, probably every day in summer, possibly twice a day in hot weather (much depends on the porosity of the pot, the mix and the local environment. (no more weekends away or holidays for you!)
-regular fertilising. The constant watering leaches most of the nutrients out so we need to keep adding fresh fertiliser. Everyone has their own preferences but slow release fert in the mix at potting time is good then extra fert every 2-4 weeks during the growing season helps keep potted plants healthy.
- repotting every 2-3 years because the roots keep growing and eventually fill the pot so full that there is no room for water or more roots to grow. The potting mix particles also break down over time and start to clog up the spaces for air and water so fresh mix to give air and water spaces and pruning the roots to give room for them to grow again is important.

Late winter/ early spring seems to be the best time to repot maples.
Hope this maple does well in its new pot.