Hi! I received three different bonsai in a moss ball (kokedama). It was a gift after talking about my interest in bonsai. I wasn’t ready for it but now that I have it I’m jumping right in.
Would you re-pot these immediately or leave it in the ball for now? One had leaves but they dried out or dropped while it was on its way and is still alive (I did the scratch and it’s green). The other two have growths on it so I guess they are doing okay for now. I’m afraid of doing anything to stress them out and cause problems but I also want to make sure they survive. Any advice is appreciated! Thank you.
I believe they are a maple, wisteria, and cherry blossom. I have attached photos of them. Hopefully it helps. I do not currently have them outside. They are under grow lights and I’ve been checking their weight and misting them when I think it’s needed.
Hi Hyukai, thanks for the pictures. I can’t assess how compacted the root mass is. If your impression is that it absorbs water well you don’t have to repot, but if you want to move them to pots (which would help them grow stronger) then you can repot in my opinion. Sort out the roots in a radial patern, cut the long ones, secure the tree well in the pot so that it doesn’t move and use relatively fine akadama (or another substrate that retains water well). The trees will respond well. And depending on where you live and if there’s no frost, I would move them outdoors. Good luck!
Hi Maina! Thank you for the reply. I think I will repot them. I just need to get the screen to put over the holes and I need wire. I definitely want them to grow stronger and I hope the maple bounces back.
We are just coming out of the winter season where I live and may have some nights below freezing still. Should I keep it inside until the temps are consistently above freezing or do you think it’d be okay?
Hi Hyukai, I would keep an eye on the forecasts and move them in a shed or inside if frost is expected. If you want to minimize the risk then you could keep them indoor for a few weeks longer, but my experience is that trees do better outside, also in colder weather. Frost right after repotting is said to be bad, although I’ve had repotted trees in light frost and they’ve also been okay.
