Japanese Larch repotting

Hi all,

I just acquired a couple really tiny little Japanese Larch seedlings. They're nothing to look at now but they were dirt cheap, and I think in a few years they could go well in a planting with a more established Japanese Larch I've been working on.

I know this is not the time to repot them, but they are in really tiny little nursery containers (maybe 6 and 8 cm square) and I am worried about them drying out with that little soil mass during the hot summer months. I was thinking of sliding them out in whole compact dirt cubes, without disturbing the roots at all, and placing them in larger containers of similar garden soil. I hoped this would allow more soil mass and more water retention through the summer and might even give the roots a little room to grow if they need it.

Thoughts? Will this stress them? Will it not do enough good to be worth the bother?

Potting the seedling up without disturbing the roots will do no harm at all. Whether they will grow anymore this year is debateable but worth doing. Make sure to repot next Spring though or you will end up with deformed roots.

Excellent, that's what I'd thought/hoped.

Thanks Will.

Best,

Elias

Same opinion as Will: in California, it can be so hot that the risk of losing them if you keep them in small pots is higher tahn if you put them in bigger pots. I think...

they don't really mind the sun, but they like to have wet (and if possible) cool feet...

Thanks for the reply and advice Alain.

Best,

Elias

Hi Elias,
Root egress on most tree species is in the spring and again in late summer/early fall. Being in a relatively warm environment you should expect excellent root growth again later this year.
Relating this to our forest industry.... we added a late summer planting program with "hardened off" (gone through a black out system) stock with great survival and performance results. Depending on the local conditions we start in late August and when they are checked in early October we've seen excellent root growth........
Cheers G

G - Thanks for the advise and reply. They will have a happy new home shortly.

Best,

Elias

Didn't realise your are in California. How cold are your Winters? Larch need cold Winters.

I'd say we get 5-10 nights of below freezing weather per winter. Not a lot.

My other larch was acquired in February of this year from a bonsai nursery in roughly the same climate as mine, but I don't know if it had been there through a winter or two in California, or if it was newly acquired. It is growing extremely vigorously.

What do you think? Are they in for a slow death after not being able to hit dormancy during the winter?