Recently purchased a Chinese elm. It's doing great but it's in the plastic pot from the store. I want to repot into bonsai pot but I've read it should be done in the spring.
I live in south texas where it rarely freezes. Should I wait or not?

Do you mind to share a photo?

For normal repotting procedure and for a beginner I would say that now is too late for normal bonsai repotting. But if you get a nice pot that is the same size or slightly bigger it is fully possible to slippot into that one without touching the roots, just adding some soil if needed.

Bonsai is all about patience. Repotting at this time of year is not on. Wait let it grow and get used to seeing how it needs to be watered and pruned this year, where to place it in the garden and how it responds. then do the procedure next year.

Wait it out just yet. Sharing of photos would be beneficial too.

Thanks for the input. I'll wait till spring.

Yes, wait. That rootball can not be repotted into bonsai pot without root work.

Sorry to be dense, but when should I begin wiring and shaping? Ive done loads of research but would love to have your advice. Hearing from someone with actual experience means a lot to me. Again thanks for your response.

You might do some pruning this year, but wiring is not something to do with this plant

Now would be a great time to do some initial shaping. The spring is moving into summer and the elm will have several months of good growth ahead.

This is a little tricky though, as the trimming that needs to be done would be considered a first styling: You need to decide what you want the final tree to look like. You need to decide which branch is the main trunk for your tree, and which are secundary to this.

As a guiding principle when trimming:

- Only 1 branch on the trunk at a given point, and ideally, at a given height
- Branches split in 2. Not in 3,4, 5.. So every point where a branch splits in more than two, all others are removed
- Branches always grow away from the trunk. Branches that grow back into the tree should be trimmed
- The whole tree should have a similar "rythm". Branches at a similar angle to the trunk, flowing outwards

Here is a tree of mine in winter, where you can see most of these elements quite clearly. The one thing I did not do is not have branches at the same level on the trunk, as in this case that would have left too few branches. This is also important to realize: None of the above are fixed rules, but more guidelines to help you find your way. In the end, the tree just needs to look good and come across as realistic...

I have a nice ficus. It is currently in potting soil. When will it be time to repot into bonsai soil?