AusBonsai

Hi brains trust.
An amateur question. I am in Melbourne and have many baby trees of natives. As I have been away for a few weeks my question is whether I have missed the window to repot the natives I have. I did my figs a month ago or so but the others I didn’t. Down here it is still warm. There are also a few topicals (rain trees) that could benefit if it should be ok. Any input would be gratefully received. Many thanks in advance.

Hello Paul,
The optimum time has past but the next best time is now. The tree/s will be able to settle in the new pot ready for winter.

There's lots of general rules to things. I've heard people say you can repot natives all year round, but not tried this myself. You haven't listed what you have, or photos which would help.

Have you done a "lift and look" on the roots? I've made the mistake of repotting as it "was time" when not root bound and in hindsight trees were struggling, so a repot did more harm than good.

In the cooler hills where I am I find it's better to repot natives in the warmer weather but was told by one of Victoria's best native bonsai grower that natives can be repotted any time of year in Melbourne.
It is possible that advice may be tempered by which part of Melb you live, what particular natives, how old the trees are and maybe how much root you want to remove but I definitely trust my source. Leave it up to you to decide whether to go ahead now or wait.

Just opened the BSV newsletter.
An article by Marcella, who is another of our top native bonsai growers, says repot in Melbourne any time of year but not right after heavy pruning or styling.
So that's 2 Melbourne based experts saying all year round is fine.

Hi Paul. I repotted a couple of my larger leptospermum maybe a month ago. One seems ok, but the 'rudolph' variety has struggled to recover. Not sure if that particular variety is just sensitive, like the scopariums. There was a hot 35-37 degree spell less than a week later too which could negatively affect recovery. I'm new to this as well, so I've accepted that some trees aren't going to make it as I learn the intricacies.

ShaneVE wrote: ↑March 1st, 2025, 10:20 pm Hi Paul. I repotted a couple of my larger leptospermum maybe a month ago. One seems ok, but the 'rudolph' variety has struggled to recover. Not sure if that particular variety is just sensitive, like the scopariums. There was a hot 35-37 degree spell less than a week later too which could negatively affect recovery. I'm new to this as well, so I've accepted that some trees aren't going to make it as I learn the intricacies.

Yes, I've had similar experiences. Some varieties are more sensitive, and the heat after repotting can set them back. It's part of the learning process some plants just don't make it.

I’m repotting natives now.
I would generally do it earlier, but I wasn’t here… so now it is!
Melaleuca, Leptospermum, Allocasuarina predominately and a few others… some going from plastic to bonsai pots, some back into training pots, some that were already in bonsai pots that need root work. Younger stock particularly won’t have much of an issue I don’t think.
After care is really what matters regardless of when you repot.

Wow everyone.
Thanks so much for the advice. From this I will start to have a look this weekend when it is a bit warmer but will be cautious. My trees are baby trees, not yet ‘bonsai starters’ I suppose you could say but some are 8-9 years old from seed so will be extra careful. Some house sitters decimated them while I was in Japan searching for inspiration. Didn’t expect to lose so many but I had a huge amount that was in need of a downgrade. Still mighty angry. In my little corner of urban city they have all gone well until now so crossed fingers some come back again.
Thanks again all, super helpful and why I trust this forum so much.
Cheers Paul

Some house sitters decimated them while I was in Japan searching for inspiration. Didn’t expect to lose so many but I had a huge amount that was in need of a downgrade. Still mighty angry.

I've been there too. When I got over the initial anger and frustration I realised it was actually an opportunity to start new trees with all the skills and knowledge I'd gained rather than persisting with the crap trees I had before.

Don't be in too much of a hurry to throw out existing 'dead' trees. It's amazing how many can recover.

shibui wrote:

Some house sitters decimated them while I was in Japan searching for inspiration. Didn’t expect to lose so many but I had a huge amount that was in need of a downgrade. Still mighty angry.

I've been there too. When I got over the initial anger and frustration I realised it was actually an opportunity to start new trees with all the skills and knowledge I'd gained rather than persisting with the crap trees I had before.

Don't be in too much of a hurry to throw out existing 'dead' trees. It's amazing how many can recover.

I will second that. While not a native I almost lost a Chinese elm due to ‘holiday watering’. It has come back very strongly. (I did lose a juniper though). But yes, May be just hold on to them a while.


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For what it's worth, I'll be repotting a few natives this weekend - Banksia and Eucalyptus. However I find it safer this time of the year to only do minimal root reduction, and I'm only repotting them because I didn't have the time to do it between Melbourne cup and Christmas (which is my usual time) and they're quite pot bound. In the past, I've found it safer to wait until now to repot them rather than repot them during Jan?Feb, when I'm unable to do it my usual time.

Plenty of time to repot in Melbourne. Just wait until the hot weather has passed. Should be good till the end of April or longer this year. Repotting anything in mid-summer or mid winter in Southern Victoria is just silly.

Ryceman3 wrote:I’m repotting natives now.
I would generally do it earlier, but I wasn’t here… so now it is!
Melaleuca, Leptospermum, Allocasuarina predominately and a few others… some going from plastic to bonsai pots, some back into training pots, some that were already in bonsai pots that need root work. Younger stock particularly won’t have much of an issue I don’t think.
After care is really what matters regardless of when you repot.

Hey Ryceman,

As a newbie trying to soak up as much info as possible, what are the mains things that come with aftercare after repotting, especially for malelucas.

Cheers


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Hey Ryceman,

As a newbie trying to soak up as much info as possible, what are the mains things that come with aftercare after repotting, especially for malelucas.

Cheers


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk