Hi there!

I just wrote this post in the Mid-Atlantic Gardening Here regarding a great day with the Japanese Maple/Bonsai expert Owen Reich. Just great!!!

I learned much of my die-back over the years wasn't from winter, as I'd thought, but not-so-great potting mixes, too much water, not enough drainage, blah blah blah. (That's me, blahing, not him.)

To that effect, I lost an entire Kurui Jishi, Inazuma and Verdis to disease, Orangeola and probably a Hupp's Dwarf to root rot, and there were a lot more stressed. A lot more had a lot of die-back, deer damage, pests, and (I have no idea why any of them are alive) other stuff. I also learned somethings I'd suspected, that my Kashima wasn't a Kashima, but rather the root stock. My Seriyu isn't a Seriyu, it's some other red Dissectum. Grrrr....

My soil mixes have improved over the years as I learned more, and it was visibly evident with what had been potted recently and what was xx no. of years ago and needed repotting. OMG. It's amazing what a little fertilizer will do, too, he suggested.

That said, and per his strong suggestion, I'm looking for 5-7 gallon pots. If you're in the DC area and had some you're not using, I'll road trip. I'm between Bowie and Upper Marlboro, so I have lots and lots of highway access!

(Please don't bother suggesting nurseries. It's way too early in the season for them to have extra pots. I've already thought of the obvious.)