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I am not sure though what you mean by planting it in a colander to develope the root system. How does that help?
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A colander is very good when developing roots and thickening trunks for a number of reasons.
The small holes in the basket makes the roots stop growing when they reaches the sides of the colander, and new roots will develop further back. This produce a very good and dense root system.
You can leave the tree in the colander for a much longer time before repotting, speeding up the growth of trunk and branches.
Also the increased drainage and higher amount of oxygen available in the soil is beneficial for the growth.
Using a normal pot or container doesn’t have this effect. Here the roots will continue elongating, growing in circles around the pot inside, and not develop many new roots further back. Repotting more often is necessary, and this will slow down the development considerably.
Therefore a colander is a very good solution.
On the picture a Brazilian Cherry, Cerejeira. Here another pot is added outside to prevent the tree from drying out too fast in the heat of Brazil. Regurarely the outer pot is removed and the roots growing through the holes of the basket is cut, to keep the effect of the colander.
I made this tree at a recent workshop in Brazil.
Regards
Morten Albek
