Hi everyone!

I just received my Leptospermum scoparium yesterday. It looks healthy, but as I see, the soil is some kind clay type. I was thinking on repot it to a lighter soil, but as I made some research it hates if it’s roots are touched and extremely fussy.

What do you think, should I even dont touch it, or this soil looks too bad?

Hey! It looks like it needs to be repoted. Too much roots but i made a fast research about it and:

Translated from portuguese sorry for any misunderstood.

"Rule number 1: DO NOT TOUCH THE ROOTS
Rule number 2: Keep a plate of water
under the vase. Put sand to the edge of the
dish so as not to create mosquitoes. Erica loves it
constantly moist soil.
Rule number 3: DO NOT TOUCH THE ROOTS
Rule number 4: Do not use alkaline soil.
It must be neutral or slightly acidic.
You can use vermiculite and red soil.
Do not use black earth.
Rule number 5: DO NOT TOUCH THE ROOTS.
Rule number 6: Never let water run out:
Pruning: styling should be done during growth.
Always cut the branches above the leaf formation.
A leafless part will not sprout again. If you cut, you will lose the branch.
Pruning is traditional, that is, at each perpendicular cut, they will split two
“Y” tips.
Japanese erica has a very interesting look as a bonsai, but its growth is very slow and its formation must be careful, because of the delicacy of the leaves and flowers, any carelessness in the formation can damage the style."

I'm with the same problem but with another bonsai species.

Hope this helps. Good luck

Thank you for your help and research! This description looks good! That “do not touch the roots” is the problem. I have no idea how to repot, by not touching them. But for sure it needs a repot.

I would look at the advice here, and change Do Not Touch Roots to be gentle with the roots.

The tree is going to grow roots and push completely out of the pot, and then any pot. Budget several hours one day and pull them apart gently. Let the soil fall away. Every now and then dip it in a bucket of water and let dirt fall out, and don't let the root ball get dry. Cut most of the roots that wrap around, but be careful to keep a lot of the new root growth. There are little hair roots coming off of the new roots and that is how the tree picks up water from the soil.

Good luck.

Thank you for the advise!
I will prepare for it give a couple of hours to make it.

Today I was in a nursery and bought another one from it (with different colored flowers) but it’s in a big nursery pot (it’s just raw material). That will be a more bigger challenge.

And to make it more complicated: it is two separated tree in one pot...

I don’t know if should I try to separate them, or sacrifice (cut) one of them and keep the other one, because that doesn’t require so hard rootmass work.