At the end of summer it is a good time to repot Japanese Maple Bonsai or Report Trident Maple Bonsai at the end of summer. Why would you? And why not? Lets look at repotting bonsai in Summer.
@bobcatbonsai makes handcrafted bonsai tools.
A video I did of his work: https://youtu.be/3S2OcrnXXpk
If you are in the USA, consider connecting with him!
0:00 Benefits of repotting bonsai in Fall
1:50 Repotting a Trident Maple in late summer
4:50 Substrate for Japanese Maple Bonsai
6:20 How to wire in a Japanese Maple rootbaal with weak roots?
8:35 Repotting a Japanese Maple ‘Katsura’ in late summer
9:42 Root pruning Japanese Maple bonsai in summer
13:18 Planting a Japanese Maple bonsai into the pot
14:30 @bobcatbonsai ‘s tool video is at: https://youtu.be/KH3PLFprV78?si=66dTTw1W0JCQW-NN
15:18 Bonsai Aftercare after summer repotting
16:40 Survival update
36 Comments
Thanks very much for the anchoring techniques, which I will use. You seem to read my mind: I live in Texas where 93 degrees F is predicted for Oct. 1 and we have days of low humidity in autumn. Have you visited Texas as a guest artist?
I also had to try this. I repotted and semi-heavily root pruned one of my less important, few years old seedlings. The fall here, now, is a lot further than there, when you recorded, but it's an experiment! The roots were surprisingly nice, so I hope it survives. It is, or at least was, very healthy and the leaves are still fully green so there's hope!
Thank you Jelle, great video. I just moved a 5 foot garden japanese maple, well reducing root ball in South West Ontario. Tough plants, they can take a lot of abuse, lol. 😅 no harm to tree at all in full leaf. Know that your trees are healthy and go from there 😊
Hey Jelle
Nice one and a great example of doing this work not only in spring. 😃👍
Thanks a lot and best regards
Very informative video 🙂 Interesting about the Autumn re potting and rootwork. Autumn is always a great time (South West UK) for planting shrubs and trees so they can make root growth before dormacy. So doing the same for bonsai makes perfect Horticultural sense. I love your wiring the tree into the pot method. Something i will put to good use in future. Thank you for sharing.
I've been doing a lot more repotting of young material in late summer/ fall. they're really happy coming out in the spring undisturbed.
So glad you released this video now! 👍 Decided to repot my recent received Magnolia tomorrow, as the roots also come straight trough the soil. 😄🤩 Thanks Jelle! 🙏😘 Cheers 🙋♀️ Martina
I’d like to see these trees in spring when you place the air layer and in the fall again.
Would you consider doing an initial potting and root chop from a nursery pot in the fall.
I did very heavy rootprune to my a couple of Acers last week. They are not even shaken.
The title of your video has me confused. Are we talking about summer repotting or fall repotting?
Jelle, will you still protect the tree from hard freeze this winter?
I know that quite a few experienced growers are happy doing repots through most of the growing season – it is often more about understanding the aftercare requirements. My only question is related to the white tips you highlighted in both trees. if you pull out your tree and don't see this evidence of healthy growing roots would that be an indication to leave it until spring?
With the three point anker I like to use a sacrifice branch or a stump(I have left before) for tying the wire. Great info once more, always good tips and interesting techniques shown in your video’s. Can you repost this video in 6 months and paste a short update behind? Or it that not so easy as it sounds?
Great video! How long since last repot for both trees? One year, or is this the second time in one year?
I want to plant a Japanese maple in the ground to grow it out a bit more. The only spot I have is going to be in shade almost constantly until about April though. Would it still be a good idea to do that, or is it better if I just repot now and keep it in a more "sunny spot" (not much sun anyway with clouds and rain all the time…)
Très intéressant! Un grand merci pour la vidéo!
Is it OK for all trees? Would like to repot a goat willow and Alder
, they are only one year old but in very small pots, they was my first repot in spring next year. But would a repot now benifit them next year?
Two questions always come to my mind on fall repots 1. In fall if the trees are storing nutrients into the roots and tree why chop the roots sounds counterproductive as if u took those stored nutrients away that it made 2. Where i live it gets cold and to me an autumn repot would reduce the cold resistance of the tree. Whats ur thoughts on these two questions? Thanks
That anchor method is just what I needed. Lately a lot of my younger trees with less roots have been difficult to wire in traditionally, which made me totally abandon wiring in for many trees. It should be very useful thank you Jelle! 👍🏽
👍👌🙂
That does make perfect sense, given we can separate airlayers in late summer with good expectation of success. Mine have all been done this spring, so no experiments for me this year, but maybe next autumn . . .
Also love that anchoring technique; hit upon it this spring when a little twin trunk "potentsai" kept falling out of it's pot in our spring winds. Growing happily now, but I was worried for a few weeks!
Great work Jelle
Hi Jelle, could you show us your complete Bonsai collection befor winter? It would be great, thanks, Thomas
I do half of my repotting in spring, half in autumn 🙂 its a good way for me to space out the work.
I always think if you can rationalise and justify and explain what you are doing in terms of the plant biology and horticulture then you are good to go. 👍
In autumn the leaves are transpiring less and demanding less water as the tree starts preparing for winter. The time to really avoid repotting (and significant root cutting) is really in the middle of the growing season when the weather is hottest, and demand for water uptake is greatest.
Great video, as always 🙏
Hello, if possible, add the Persian language as well
Loved the video, great information.
If we repot and do hard root work, the following Spring/late winter, can we prune big branches or even trunk chop?
What is the name of the tape you use on the plant pot drains? It looks like a drain tape of some sort.
Where in Germany are you/ I lived with my parents in Munich and Augsburg. Dad was in the military then. Loved in over there Lovely place.
Thanks again for another great video, this has given me the confidence to repot two of my trident maples this week.
What size pot is the one with the Japanese maple?
Would you also take trees out of the ground now to pot them up?
Great video. Never done a repot so late on in the year. Hope the results are positive, you seem very sure they will be.
I am greedy. I wan to see both 😉