A repotting history helps gather date, material used and observations of each intervention. It does not replace a plant assessment or determine when a new repotting should occur. Use it to record facts and refer to the sequence of decisions in your collection.
A record that can be queued
- Identify the bonsai as it appears on the card.
- Record the repotting date. If it is approximate, say so.
- Record the substrate and other materials as you know them, including proportions only when they were measured and noted at the time.
- Add comments about the work done and context that is useful to you.
- Associate photos taken before and after with the correct dates.
For example: “18/08 — Garden edge — repotting recorded; mix according to my notes in the notebook; reference photo taken the same day.” The example is a record structure, not a prescription of substrate or era.
Avoid reconstructing details as if they were exact
If you lost the label of a material or don't remember a proportion, indicate the uncertainty. This transparency makes the next record more useful. Photographs of the packaging, nursery notes, and reference pages can complement the card, but do not mix the recommendation consulted with what you actually did.
Keep the record with the rest of the story
Notebooks and spreadsheets are valid options. If you want to view repotting alongside other care tasks and photos, care history page explains how Bancada Bonsai organizes records by plant. The free plan includes a catalogue and up to 3 plants. It is also possible to export the catalog records in JSON.
For repotting decisions, consult reliable technical material and consider the tree’s actual condition. Also see the basics of bonsai from Bonsai Empire.