Patience is an important aspect of gardening, so this will give you a good opportunity to practice. :-) I agree with Al... it's best to gather everything together so you have all necessary ingredients on hand, make a small batch of the Gritty Mix, and work with it through the coming season to gain familiarity with its properties. By next spring, you'll be an old hand at knowing how it works, why it works, and you'll have made any necessary adjustments in watering technique, etc... and your Maple trees will be the better for your experiences and patience. Learning beforehand and having that knowledge to draw from is truly the key to being successful. :-)

Yes, shazaam, the repotting went very well. I repotted it without completely bare rooting it. I just took it out of the pot an gave it a good blasting with the hose to knock off most of the potting medium (which, surprisingly, seem to be pretty good quality) and repotted. A few leaves were forming so I decided against rooting pruning this go round, knowing from past experience the stress and recovery period, so I will likely do it next year. The few figs (about 7 of them) are still on the tree and we are getting more leaves so we will see if they hang on and ripen or drop. Love this time of year watching everything in my garden wake up and looking forward to a summer full of beautiful blooms and sweet delicious figs :). Thanks again and let me know what becomes of your breba crop too!

There is a distinct difference between repotting and potting up. You can bump a plant (pot up to a larger size container) anytime, though it's best done when the plant is in or about to begin active growth. A repot includes root pruning and removal of all or most of the soil, and is best undertaken (in your zone) in spring just as buds show some movement, or slightly earlier. There is a wide variety of soil choices, but those that are well-aerated and durable are best. Pot size depends on the relationship between plant size and how well the soil is aerated. You can use huge pots (if you prefer - no upper size limit) when using porous soils that hold no perched water, but as the particle size making up whatever soil you choose gets smaller, water retention increases and makes your choice of pot sizes more important. You can't over-pot when using soils that don't hold perched water, but you can over-pot when using heavier soils, and it's unwise to do so. If there is something you need clarified ..... Al

I think I will just save the repotting for next year. Except . . .there is one hosta in particular that I purchased early September through our hosta society. There are roots coming out of the bottom. I just tried to take it out of its pot and I couldn't do it. So tomorrow I will cut the pot off, try to loosen the roots and then up pot. I don't think this hosta is planted in media for pots though. But I won't be able to remove too much of the original media. I can then see what happens next year.