In late February, I up-potted several potensai - two black pines, an Chinese
Elm, and a Japanese maple. At the time I was unable to find all the
individual components I generally use for making my own mix (particularly
and most importantly, my local supply was our of the small orchid fir bark I
prefer). However, they had an "in-house" orchid mix with the small bark,
perlite, charcoal, etc. I felt it was awfully heavy on peat moss, but I
decided not to sift it out.

Now I have all but lost the maple, and I am assuming it is to poor drainage,
for it has been healthy for several years. The elm is okay at the moment,
and one of the pines is pushing candles, but the other is responding more
slowly.

Now that it is early April, and temperatures are in the high 70s with a few
low 80s this week, is it safe to repot again, replacing with a mix with
significantly reduced peat? Will the timing present too much stress on the
tree? Even though drainage has not appeared to me to be bad, I think that
ensuring good drainage is critical. My plan would be to quickly transfer to
the new soil with very little disturbance of the roots and keep in a shady
spot for several weeks, water lightly but keep soil moist. Considering the
stress and perhaps the "illness" of the trees, would feeding be recommended
at the time of repotting?

Thanks.
Blake in Houston