I am getting conflicting info. re: Lilac Bonsai repotting. I thought early spring when buds start to swell ie: Late Feb in the NW but I have also seen a Bonsai site say mid summer? Seems counter intuitive to me. Also, how often do they normally need to be re-potted?
Is yours an early flowering or late flowering variety. This is why there are conflicting times for repotting. Sometimes waiting until after flowering will give you a better show (but not always). Lilac is a relatively fast grower but in a bonsai pot slows with age. So obviously depending at what stage yours is at, size of container etc I would be looking to repot a young tree 1-2 yrs and older no more than 3 yrs. Obviously if percolation is lost before this then it will have to be repotted. Hope this helps
lHey Keith: Thanks so much for your feedback. Mine is an early bloomer I believe, sometime around May/June. I was thinking of repotting to a larger pot next month since the buds are showing signs of swellingl. I think this is due to our continually mild winters. I notice the same thing on some of my other trees.
Hi Charles. Should a sudden freeze occur can you give it protection as lilac can be tricky once the roots have been disturbed. You should be safe if you can as yours flowers late spring / early summer.
Thanks Keith. Yes they are pretty protected and I do have a place to put then if it looks like pending free.
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