Jack Pine Seedling Repot

After some research into substrates, I've been skeptical as far as the conditions of my two month old seedling. It came in a kit (I had no idea what I was getting into haha), which included a compressed peat pellet.

Considering the fact that this is completely organic, I was thinking of mixing up a small bit of inorganic substrate for the little guy so that his root ball will be filled with good stuff in a few years when I'm ready to train it.

I read that late winter is ideal for repotting, but that autumn is okay, too, since there's moderate growth. Should I just leave it be in that peat since it's so young? I'm in zone 6b if it helps you at all. I coun't find the answer through ten minutes of searching so I figured I'd ask here. As always, ANY and ALL feedback and suggestions are welcome.

Regards,
Zach

Hi Zach

I've found that seedlings and cuttings of most plant material do better with a well drained medium - I use a 50/50 mix of Perlite (crushed volcanic rock) and peat compost, although any kind of inorganic additive would do. Not sure about the best time for repotting for your pine, my various 'potensai' get potted on when they need more growing space..

Dave

Alright, thanks for that Dave; yeah, I've decided with a mix of crushed lava rock, crushed granite, pine bark mulch and turface (1:1:2:1). As for the other question I had, does anyone know if it's a good idea to repot the seedling?

Regards,
Zach

I wouldn't. If I recall it is VERY young. Any effort to remove it from its peat ball would tear off the delicate roots.

Now, you could take the plant, peat ball and all, and put it into a larger, but shallow, pot with bonsai soil around it. That's not "repotting" in the bonsai sense. HOWEVER, you would have to be especially careful with your watering because most of the water will flow through the bonsai soil and scarcely wet the peat ball at all. That would be fatal.

Okay, thanks Jim. I really appreciate the help. I'll leave it in the peat and pot, then. How many growing seasons should I wait before putting it in a bonsai mix?

Regards,
Zach

With the understanding that I am NOT a pine person, I would wait until the stem is definitely woody. A pine expert may chime in here, and you should bow to their wisdom.

Thanks again Jim, I appreciate the advice. Even if you aren't a "pine expert" in particular, you know a lot more about bonsai than most. Unless one of those pine experts responds otherwise, I'll wait until the stem gets woody to repot it.

Zach