Well Overdue Repotting for My Large Podocarpus Cutting
One way or another this bonsai has avoided being repotted for the past few years. However, today is repotting day for this Chinese Yew (Podocarpus) cutting. It has been in a tiny plastic pot for at least the past three years! I am expecting the root structure of this tree to be quite extensive and am relived to finally get it into a new home.
Current Condition
One of the first things you might notice in the video is that all the leaves at the top of the tree are all dried out and crispy. Sadly, this Chinese Yew did not handle a lack of water very well while I was away, for two weeks, on vacation. Before I left, all those leaves were brand new light green buds. When I returned they were all dead. Fortunately, the rest of the tree is just fine so I watered it as soon as I got back and it has been doing great ever since.
Apart from the lost buds, this tree looks fairly healthy and has been starting to grow at a much faster rate recently despite Podocarpus trees being very slow growers. One of the main goals of this Chinese Yew repotting is to provide it with extra space to grow and fresh nutrient soil to promote more vigorous growth.
Repotting Chinese Yew (Podocarpus) Bonsai
This repotting was one of the smoother ones I’ve ever done. The tree was extremely easy to remove from its pot. All the dirt flaked right off of the roots and the dead leaves fell right off. And most unbelievably, all the pieces of mesh stayed in placed when I poured the inorganic mix over them! Let me just tell you, that is a rarity for me. I usually always have to go back and replace the mesh every time. That is probably the highlight of this repotting to me.
Not getting too sidetracked, another nice feature about this bonsai is its wide root structure. It will aide in standing the tree upright and slowly thicken up the base of the trunk. I originally placed the tree a bit too deep in the pot for my liking. So, I decided to pull the tree back up and fill in more dirt at a higher position. This was all done out of personal preference because I really want to watch the base thickening as the tree starts to grow into its new pot.
Final Results and Considerations
I am really glad I finally repotted this Chinese Yew bonsai. It was a long time coming and a smooth repotting made it all the better. While it sucks that all the new buds died while I was away, it does give me some insight as to how long this tree can tolerate drought. Not the best way to find that out but, at the least, now I know. I have plans to turn this bonsai into a cascading or semi-cascading design. Those plans are still a ways away but one day I will be there!
Be sure to check out my YouTube channel and don’t forget to subscribe to never miss any content!
The Gallery has all these photos and more. Don’t miss the growth of all my bonsai trees!
If you missed my last post about my Chinese Yew Grouping and Individual Repotting you can find it here!
