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Question regarding red maple repot from newbie

Posted by Hoosteady 7 (My Page) on
Tue, Apr 24, 12 at 19:59

Backstory: After a few years of really getting into various houseplants, I've just recently been getting into bonsai. Started with fukien teas and have just ventured into the world of outdoor trees.

I'm moving from MD to SE PA and a friend of mine who knew of my new interest in bonsai told me he had some saplings coming up from beneath two of his red maple trees in his front yard. He was going to be mowing for the first time this spring and said if I wanted them, to get over there and dig them up.

Obviously, I would have liked to have done a lot of research prior to digging them up, but time didn't allow for it. I figured I was playing with hosue money since they were going to be mowed down anyways, so figured I'd give it a shot and see if I could keep them alive.

I dug up four small ones and one that had a decent start of a trunk to it. I dug them up, washed and trimmed the roots a bit and since I didn't know what type of soil to put them in, nor did I have have much on hand at the time, potted them in a mixture of the clayey, micaceous soil that they were dug out of, sphagnum moss, some sand and some potting soil.

After doing some research, mostly on this site, I've realised that I haven't exactly set myself or my plants up for success. They seem to be doing fairly well. Haven't dropped leaves or changed color. The question I have is this... Should I leave them in the current soil medium and hope that they get through the year until I repot properly next year, or should I uproot them again and plant them in a proper mixture?

If pictures would help, please let me know! Any constructive advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: Question regarding red maple repot from newbie

Here are some pictures

Here is a link that might be useful: Maple


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