Bottlebrush looking dull - HELP

lisamcobley

Hi everyone. I ordered a new bottlebrush single stem tree a week ago. When it arrived I thought the pot was rather small but the plant looked healthy so didn't worry too much. I wanted to plant in my garden but due to lockdown the ericaeous compost advised was not available so it's been waiting in the sun and being watered and misted every 2-3 days. Due to him looking a bit dull and the roots coming out the bottom I decided to repot him. I used some of my own mulchy compost and multipurpose compost. I teased the rootball slightly and put him in a new pot. To avoid transplant shock should I just keep him in here for a while and let him recover and grow or do I get him in the ground as soon as possible? 

Plants currently in my sink after a all purpose feeder drink and repot. 

Any advice appreciated. Sorry for the waffle. 

Borderline

I think that original pot size would have been fine until you had the space to plant it out.

Any compost for the time being would be fine. I grow some in containers and have not always used ericaceous compost and they seem fine. But obviously, if you are planting them out into the ground, they will prefer neutral to acidic conditions.

It is rather warm at the moment, so leaving the plant outside against a warm southerly wall should be fine. Continue to do that until you have all the right stuff to plant out eventually. Remember, they are not all that hardy, so would be best to plant next to some back protection or amongst other shrubs that can provide a micro-climate.