Looks much happier   Nice beginning.

Hi All,

It looked so happy after repotting.
Now it  barely has new needles. The buds did not develop into candles: It just grew needles.

Must have been repotting stress.
Will have to wait for next year, see how it develops than. For now I won't do anything!

Dirk

Dirk,

I clearly see candles.  On both your before repotting pictures, and after repotting.

Maybe you are unfamiliar with the term, "candles"?

See Jonas's blog: www.bonsaitonight.com.  Over the past couple of months he has published extensive photographs of candles and decandling techniques.

In my opinion, you repotted very late in the growing season.  You are supposed to repot before the candles have extended like they have in your first post. 

(I am thinking that you thought the emerging needles on the candles were buds and when in fact they are needles.) 

Dirk, is English a second language?  If so, that's probably why we are miscommunicating.

On Post #3, the second picture, you show a candle with new needles.  The "candle" looks like it was maybe 4 or 5 centimeters long.  There is one centimeter from where it starts to emerge from last year's growth before the needles start.  That part has no buds.  We call that portion of the candle the "neck".  Then you have the needles.  If you look at the very tip end, you will see a pointed structure, it will eventually turn white as it matures.  That is a bud.  They vary in size, but they will probably grow to be about 3/4 of a centimeter before it goes dormant for the winter.

Next spring, the buds will begin to swell, and grow longer.  Just as the buds are beginning to swell, or even just before they do is the proper time to repot.  It is better to repot too early than too late.  As the buds swell, they  get longer.  Some can become very long 10 to 20 centimeter, some less strong may stay very short, less than a centimeter.  If they come from a bud at the end of a shoot, we call the growth a "candle".

Your tree had many candles.  In your first post, I can see several candles, and they appear to be about 3 centimeters long.  That is really too late to repot.  It appears the tree survived, so it's ok.  When the candles stop getting longer, that is when the needles emerge from the candles.

Your first post shows candles that have extended and are ready to begin produce needles. 

Your JBP looks perfectly normal to me.  You may have set it back a little by repotting late, but it appears normal.

Dirk, I think your candles were weaker than you expected, but they are fine. It is always good to keep the tree out of freezing weather after a repot.

I think the reason the candles were weak is the original soil was too organic. JBP grow best in inorganic soil. They also like to be kept on the dry side. Organic soil usually keeps the roots too wet which can cause them to rot. As evidenced by the black roots you found.

The combination of the new soil you used and the colander you potted in should be much better.

Fertilize well this fall until it goes dormant. Fertilize again next spring and you should see strong growth. Do not repot next spring.

Good luck, the tree looks great!