Hi. Trees (and any plants) are pruned when they need to be, which means first of all it should be done in the 'right' season, but that's way less important if you're growing them indoors, if they're tropicals (more or less). So if you're concerned that your tree is rootbound, hold your hand flat over the soil around the trunk, tip it all over and hopefully the tree will come out with an intact rootball (but do it over plastic or paper because bits will fall out too). If it won't fall out, use a butter knife around the edge, whack the pot bottom on a table top, etc. til it does. Are there a lot of roots around the outside of the ball, or only a few? If there are a lot, then put it back in the pot (for the moment). You can now decide if you want it back in the same pot or a larger one - you decide because you will have the choice. If it's a larger one, just plonk it in there, and carefully fill around it with more of the same or a similar type of soil (I think Schultz Cactus Soil would be appropriate for your tree, possibly with some perlite in it) and tap it all well down inside. If you want to use the same pot, then very carefully crumble off the soil from the rootball (usually easiest to start from the bottom middle with just a finger and gradually work your way up and around). If you normally let it get very dry between waterings, wait for the day after you water one week, then do it because it'll be easier to loosen the soil. Anyhow, when you have most of the soil off, then slowly untangle the roots so they are relatively downward - be very careful not to break any (but a couple of skinny ones shouldn't matter). You want the new little feeders closer to the trunk to grow, so unless all of them are in fact only near the bottoms of big old roots, cut back the oldest ones by 1/3 - 1/2, and some of the medium length ones too. Leave the small part of the ball near the trunk alone. Then put an inch of soil in the pot, put the tree in carefully spreading the roots but not much if they're too brittle, and replace the soil, being very careful (trickle it in) to fill all gaps between roots, tapping gently every so often, til you reach the top. Water it. The growing season loosely means spring and summer (to any plant), but some are either a bit strange (nursery may have germinated them out of season, or they're from south of the equator) so if your tree is putting out new growth now, it's its growing season and needs to be fertilized with either a fert. for cacti (Schultz makes a good liquid one in a small bottle), or a regular balanced one (that says e.g. 10-10-10 on the bottle vs 14-40-20 or something geared for flowers, or whatever). If you feed weekly, dilute it a bit more than directions call for on the label, and it's better than giving it the whole amount less often anyway.

Hi, I should also have said that when you cut lots of roots, it's best to balance the foliage to some extent (especially if it's bushy) by pruning there as well. If you're happy with the basic style, major branching, etc., at least trim down the foliage somewhat. But - if it's just putting out a few new small leaves, it may be better not to repot at all yet - wait til there's more foliage (in spring) and the leaves have 'hardened' (matured) and then do it all.

Thank you, I prunned my Pepper tree about a month ago and have being feeding it fertilizer (though I wasn't able to get my hands on the one you recommended nor the soil being a lazy and financially challenged student). When I do have the money though I would definately buy these though out of interest, are they environmentally friendly, if not, what is my best alternative?

i have been trying to grow a Zanthoxylum pipertum bonsai from seed and am not sure how to go about doing this. any suggestions? is there anyone out there who has experience with this sort of thing? how do i care for it once it has sprouted?

i also am trying to grow olive trees from seed and a few others. The purpose for all these seeds are to train a few bonsai trees and i desperatly need help!!!

First, growing bonsai from seed (without also having a few already grown ones on hand to work on) is really boring - you won't have anything to work on for 3-5 yrs, if not more, as they need to get woody and show some signs of 'who' they want to be, to give you at least a few options for styling, and the more 'tree' you have, the better. If you want bonsai, I first suggest you start doing some reading to get a good idea of what it's all about, and if you can find a local club, that would put you miles ahead as well, as you can watch how others do things, rather than trying to figure out what they mean from internet tips, etc. You need to realize that only tropical species can be grown indoors, and those will require lots of humidity, added lighting and knowledge of how to water them - they're definitely not house plants. You need to learn about soil mixes, climates, seasons, and a lot of other things. I do suggest that in the spring you go to a local nursery and pick up a couple of small starter trees - inexpensive, more to work with, and more likely to survive as the majority of things most nurseries sell is compatible with their climates (I realize this part's all about 'outdoor' trees!). Tropicals can be picked up almost anywhere, as long as they get woody trunks (ficus is a great one to start with) and small leaves. Don't look for 'bonsai', or those things sold at Home Depot, etc. with pebbles glued to the surface(!) and some poor little juniper cutting stuck in bad soil. They're not bonsai, just sad sacks! And anything really good (& expensive) will be iffy because unless you really know what you're doing from the minute you take it home, you could be out a lot of money (and a nice tree that took years to grow will be dead).

How many times aweek should you water the pepper tree & how much. Because i've just startted & everyone tells you something different. Please could someone give me ONE GOOD answer.
Many Thanks

hi can anyone please help me iv got a zanthoxylum pepper tree, its deciduous but when does its leaves fall off? also do all the leaves fall, or just some of them, im a bit concerned because my tree is almost bear, the leaves fall if touched but there is signs of re-growth what should i do

Ogrod - I'm sorry I never saw your posting. The tree should be watered only when a fair amount of soil is dry (stick your finger in it) or the leaves begin to just look a bit tired.
Neilnfish - you say it's deciduous, but do you mean it's 'not' a conifer, or that it needs to have below freezing dormancy outside in winter? It's at least semi tropical, if not tropical, and while it might lose leaves in China in the fall, it would freeze to death in N. America outside except in the south and it's normally grown indoors under very bright light. If your leaves have fallen, there may be other reasons (and no 'deciduous' tree loses leaves in summer anyway). You may well have watered much too often, or provided no humidity tray (spraying is a waste of time), or not enough light, or else spider mites may be responsible. With no information about growing conditions where you live, it's hard to say. It's not meant to be a house plant, but at the same time cannot live outdoors (except in summer) in most of the U.S. and needs to be treated like other bonsai (tropicals) using the right kind of soil mix (mostly grit), 15 hours of bright sun all day and a fair amount of humidity.

thankyou for replying. sorry about the information on this matter, i should of mentioned that i live in england, iv never kept it outside at all the weather here has not really been that good. its been in doors warm and on a tray.i think the problem like you said could be the light, iv repotted it with bonsai compost which has a good amount of grit in it,although i havent fed it(4weeks ago) since repotting it, before that iv been feeding it once a week with pokon&chrsyal bonsai plant food 4-6-6 is this ok. iv also noticed that some of the young growth is a yellow light green colour should i get a uv lamp, or is it over watering it thankyou again neil.

Hi, that fertilizer is a bit weak quite honestly - any regular balanced stuff for houseplants is fine. I would try watering less often and see if it looks any happier, plus try to get it into the best light for longest hours you can.

thankyou for the advice lucy ill try what you said,and let you know how i get on.

hi can anyone please help me iv got a zanthoxylum pepper tree, its deciduous but when does its leaves fall off? also do all the leaves fall, or just some of them, im a bit concerned because my tree is almost bear, the leaves fall if touched but there is signs of re-growth what should i do

Hi
I have a newly bought Zanthoxylum pepper tree and i have noticed that there are a fair amount of young roots and one of the large roots exposed on the top of the soil. I guess it being the beginning of spring, there is some new growth as well. I was wondering if the exposed roots might cause any harm to the tree. Also, should i put the plant in in direct sunlight, maybe by a window, or just have it in a well lit room?
Cheers

Hi, I'm also a newbie to bonsai. I have a pepper tree, kept indoors. Its the middle of winter, I spray it daily but only water when the soil feels dry. It is growing really fast with new growth visible on a daily basis! I need to know if I can trim the leaves back in the winter time, if so how much is safe?
Thanks

I live in NW PA and have tub grown Guam "Boonie Peppers" trees from seed. I bring the plant inside during winter months. I am not sure how to prune the plant back for spring / summer bountiful crop. Good , very hot & delicious peppers. Thanks