For the Novice

[travisjack]

I have acquired a Shimpaku Juniper, trimmed it out and placed it in a 2 gallon pot. It is from North Carolina and I am in Pennsylvania where the weather is a few weeks behind North Carolina. How long should I wait before transferring it to a Bonsai pot.

[jpaulhamus]

Hi, I would think you could pot it now. I also live in PA and it's definitely warm now! Has it been really stressed with the styling or did you just do some pruning? I believe Junipers can be potted anytime during the growing season although spring is best. We are kind of at the tail end of that now. I would baby it for a while after you pot it: put it somewhere shaded for 2 weeks, check to see if it needs watered daily and water as needed (they like to be on the dryer side), and mist it daily. Put some Super Thrive in your water too, that will help the roots bounce back quickly. I wouldn't work the roots real hard, just get that nursery dirt out of there and trim the roots so you have a nice tidy root ball. You may have to over pot it at first and slowly work it down into a smaller pot. Slowly move it into the light, putting it some place where it gets morning sun, then eventually into the full sun. After about a month you should be able to start feeding it. Hope that helps!