Once leaf loss is underway, it's not unusual for the symptom to get worse, even while the cause of the symptom becomes less limiting as you're get watering under control. The reason is, once the shedding process reaches a critical point, it can't be reversed, so any leaves that already have/had abscission layers forming where the leaf is attached to the stem are destined to be shed. That sort of makes your job out to be getting the plant through the winter and into a state of vitality that will allow the plant to be repotted and subsequently pruned back. Once you do that and get the plant into a soil you can water correctly, you'll have a much different scenario. I various ways, I often point out that when using a water-retentive soil, you end up battling the medium for control of the plant's vitality. That's frustrating and no where near as rewarding as growing CAN be. Keep in mind that the 6-7 months you should wait to do the work is little more than a blink of an eye to a tree. This might sound corny or new agey, but if you settle yourself into the same rhythm the plants go through in their annual growth cycle so you can take advantage of their strengths and allow for their weaker times, you'll feel a much greater sense of unity with your plants. More knowledge, a better understanding of how plants work, and the confidence that comes from knowing you are acting with the best interest of the plant in mind (which can only increase your own gratification), all act to elevate the plane on which you interact with your plants. If you pare the reason you're here down to its bare bones, isn't it because you want more from the growing experience? Al

Thanks Al! I'm sure I'll be asking you advice again when it comes time to shape them-- I have no eye for that :) I kept the roots super wet so I'm hoping they don't go through too much shock. Put them as out of the sun as I could on the balcony :) Thanks again!

"Is it ok to both prune and repot at the same time?" Yes. If your plant is healthy and your first root reduction requires removing a significant volume of roots, removing a commensurate volume of foliage can help keep the plant from indiscriminately shedding the leaves and branches IT will "decide" to shed. Many growers are very quick to repeat the current/conventional mantra that foliage shouldn't be reduced at transplant time; but w/o taking into consideration the fact that you're also going to remove a significant volume of roots, repeating the singsong mantra is rather meaningless. Your tree is an organism that receives chemical messengers that will tell it to shed foliage if the roots are significantly reduced, and roots if the canopy is significantly reduced. It's better to make the reductions yourself so you have the choice in the matter. It might not be all that significant for your tree, which only has the central stem; but it could be disastrous if you had a well-developed branch structure and the tree shed branches critical to the tree's eye appeal after you repotted. Typically, the first couple of repots end up being the most stressful because more work needs doing to get the root mass straightened out. Too, my repots are usually pretty severe; severe to the degree than I wouldn't suggest you try to emulate what I do. Because of that, I regularly prune quite hard when I repot or very soon after - as in as soon as I see new growth appearing. This really does little to slow development or growth of the tree. Root pruning represents a short-term setback, but that setback is more than repaid in the form of growth much more robust than your plant would have realized had you NOT repotted it. "Should I look to sort out the roots and then move onto the pruning?" That's typically what I would do if the repot wasn't one of those epochal sessions where a very large fraction of the roots were removed (75-90%). "I would also like to propagate the off cut stem into another tree, as the cutting will be approx. 1m. I thought spring would be the best time for this, is that correct? The best time for propagating cuttings would be just before Christmas for you. That's when the plant will have the most stored energy. Any advice and/or tips would be appreciated." If you like, you can increase the probability of your cutting striking (growing roots) and the speed with which it will strike by doing this: Purchase some IBA rooting powder. Cut 2 pieces of electrical tape long enough to make at least 2 wraps around the stem. Sprinkle one end of each piece of tape with the powder, making sure it sticks to the tape, then wrap the tape where you want roots to grow on the stem so the powder is against the bark and secure the tape. The tape will create darkness, so you'll be 'blanching' the stem. It will also trap moisture against the trunk. These cultural conditions will help stimulate root initials to form. The IBA hormone will work in concert to help stem cells in the vascular cambium decide they want to be roots, rather than whatever other organ cultural conditions would push the plant toward developing. In mid-Dec, you can sever the cutting just below the lowest tape, remove the tape, cut off leaves at the node immediately above the tape, and stick the cutting in a highly aerated, damp (but never wet or soggy) medium in open shade and out of wind. You'll want 2 nodes buried and 2 healthy leaves left on the cutting. If you want a single-stemmed plant, make a tip cutting. If you want a multi-stemmed bushy plant, take an internodal cutting. It's helpful to cut the leaves left on the plant in half across venation to reduce the likelihood of the plant shedding the leaves as a drought response. You can always start an air layer now if you like. It should be ready to separate around Christmas or just before when you do your repotting. I apologize for the tardy reply. I only got to your message asking me to look at your post tonight. I get at least 10-20 plant-related messages from Houzz members every day, and it's taken me this long to catch up after being away for a week's vacation around mid-Aug. I hope I've provided you with some insight you can put to work for you and your plant. Give a lot of thought to the medium you'll ultimately provide as a home for roots. The need to fight your soil for control of your plant's vitality takes much of the fun and reward from growing, so soil choice is a key factor that influences how rewarding your growing experience CAN be. Your turn for questions or added input. I hope I'm not too late to have provided anything useful. Al

Al I don't quite follow you. The bigger particles the better? Particles should be the same size? There is a Goldilocks range when it comes to particle size - not too large, not too small, JUST RIGHT. The second post above yours supplied misinformation that, at a minimum would be confusing to those who are still in the process of putting together a working knowledge of how behaves in soils. In soils that have a consistent particle size, the perched water table disappears when the particle size is about 3/32 of an inch or larger. From the plant's perspective, all PWTs are limiting because they rob roots of oxygen they need to function for varying lengths of time. A good rule of thumb is, the largest particles in your soil should be no more than 3X the size of the smallest, which would limit the largest particles to around 5/16" ....... in a perfect world. The gritty mix incorporates these guidelines, but the 5:1:1 mix doesn't hold to them as strictly because most growers are ok with sacrificing some of their plants potential for the convenience of not having to water as often. There's no sin in that - I do it too. I think that KNOWING there is often a sacrifice to be made for the sake of convenience is important because it provides us with a better sense of what is in our best interest when we consider factors most pertinent to us, which might be quite different from those factors important to our counterparts. Al