Ilex Root Pruning...

JoshMoRenaud

I've got an ilex vomitoria in a 3-gallon container and I really want to chop the roots severely down to size so I can fit it into a pot more suitable for a 5" tall bonsai. There are some pretty thick vertical roots near the bottom of the pot, so I'm sure the root system is deep.

My question is this: How should I prune the roots down to size? Should I hack them off in one sitting, or should I gradually prune them over a season or two? All advice is appreciated. Thanks!

Josh

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TreeBay

Can't really tell you without seeing it. The feeder roots do the lion's share of the work, and without knowing the proportion of feeder roots on the end of the laterals vs. the tap root, it would be just a guess.

Regards,

Matt

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GaryS

Like Matt says, it's hard not seeing them.

I would cerntainly want to root prune it in the Spring when it's dormant.

Hollies are known for their nice fibrous root systems. The question is how many of the large roots you mentioned will contain fibrous roots close to the trunk.

I've bought fair sized bare root hollies in the Spring that had had the large roots cut back the previous year(by the looks of them)with a lot of nice fibrous feeder roots attatched to them.

If it were me I'd probably top prune them and do some shaping and then in the early Spring late Winter I'd hose off the roots and see what they looked like and go from there. Since their going to be small bonsai, You can cut the roots back pretty hard then.

I don't live in the hot climate like you do so do it when you usually repot.

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GaryS