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Hey everyone,

I just received a 35yo Shimpaku juniper. It shipped from Cali to me in South Carolina. The seller said the tree has been in this pot for over 2 years and I should probably repot this spring.

The soil is very hard and I can see roots on the surface. I am a beginner and I have never repotted a tree. I would prefer to see the tree do well all of this year and then do it next spring when I’m confident the tree can handle it. Below are key points and questions.

- the tree already went through the stress of getting shipped, I’m guessing repotting would introduce another significant stress on the tree within a month? Is this too much?

- is it pretty likely that the tree can get through this year and I should just do it next March? What should I look out for? ?

- Reasons it’s seems over due for a repot: The soil is insanely hard and I could barely get a moisture meter into the soil, I see roots on the surface, I watered the tree very thoroughly, with 3 passes a minute from each other, ?with over a gallon of water total and it was barely dripping out of the drainage holes on the bottom.

Id rather wait obviously but let me know your thoughts!

I asked myself the same question 7 years ago when I got my first juniper. And I haven't done it yet. It is in old nurcery soil 100 percent organic mix. I have other junipers I have repotted. To me repotting is almost always initiated by aestetic reasons. If it was not for that, I would let all my conifers stay without repotting very long. They have slow root growth and it is almost never an urgent activity. On some broadleaf trees, yes. But not conifers.

2 years for a juniper is nothing. Do it next or in 2 or 3 years. Your soil obviously have good water retention and drains.?

It is pretty hard to tell what to do whiteout actually touching the soil. Find a bonsai group near you and take it to a meeting or a workshop.

I assume "Cali" is "California" and not the city in Colombia.?

You could loosen the surface to a depth of about 15mm remove the soil push a chopstick or screwdriver or similar into the soil to loosen it then top dress with fresh soil. Then re pot next year if it needs it.

Actually I have a juniper that I got 5 or 6 years ago in July. It was heavily root pruned and repotted in August and it worked good. I do not think that the time for repotting junipers is that important, that anytime the soil is not frozen would work.

But as said. I doubt repotting is needed on this tree.