Modifying pot for root removal

Joanie

Having succumbed to the charms of two little New Zealand Tea Trees from a Home Depot sale (they were five dollars! Walking away wasn't an option!) I was trying to think of a way to slowly and gently remove their roots over time. They are in one gallon black nursery pots. They have been pruned, and responded well, because they are small. They budded back on last year's growth, which was enough to fill out their little forms. They are growing well and no loss so far.

Anyway, my thought is to cut away the bottom of the nursery pot, making it into just a tube. Then to cover the bottom with the metal screening that has 1/4" openings. And at regular intervals appropriate to their growing season, remove the wire screening, cut away more of the plastic pot, and trim just those roots within the cut away area. Their pots are very large for their size, and they would have plenty of room to grow more feeder roots closer to the trunk. Bare rooting (or at least cutting and messing with the roots out of the pot) could thus be delayed for several years, but a tighter rootball might form.

Thoughts?? I'm considering doing this to the less attractive one first, and keep the nicer one as a control for a year or so.

Joanie

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bwaynef

What is the benefit? The soil is probably all wrong and might lead to rot eventually anyway. The only thing you'd be gaining is the extra drainage afforded by the screen/mesh in the bottom. I don't think that drainage would be enough considering common nursery growing medium though.

It would seem to me the quicker you get them into good "dirt" (apologies,...soil) the quicker you'd have more healthy robust trees. They're fairly young it would seem, so a barerooting would probably not hurt them. I'm not sure where you're located, but theres been discussion of unconventional wisdom such as summer repotting lately.

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Joanie

My concern is having been told that they don't like their roots messed with. They are very sensitive to it. People prefer not to try them at all for this reason.

The soil that they are in, believe it or not, is quite good for their needs right now. It is quick draining and light. I really think that it would suffice for a year or two. So my hope that by disturbing the roots the least amount, while encourageing feeder roots closer to the trunk, I can gradually work them down into a more appropriate root ball size.


Does that make sense now? Or am I overthinking it (as usual?)

Joanie

Joanie

From the bonsai-bci site:
"Avoid root-pruning as long as possible. When the job can no longer be put off, shave off a thin slice from the bottom and repot. Do NOT try to untangle the roots. Treat with kid gloves for a few weeks. Next year, shave off a thin slice from one side of the rootball. The root mass can be reduced gradually in this fashion.....etc."

That's the kind of advice about Tea Trees that is available. Along with stern admonitions about both letting them never get dry, and making sure to avoid root rot. Whew! What a fussy tree!

Joanie

grampz

Ms. Joanie,

I have never tried this and therefore cannot give first hand information, however this does sound to me like a great plan...There are several species of trees that appear as if they would make nice bonsai, but are placed in danger of death if their roots are excessively pruned or the majority of the soil removed...I have worked with rosemary which has this same reputation...I have found it best to remove only a small portion of the soil and roots each season over a period of several years...I usually remove the plant from the nursery can and cut off only about 1/4 to 1/3 of the root ball at each re-pot then attempt to loosen a bit of the soil both bottom and sides before placing it in a smaller pot or nursery can and adding the new bonsai soil mix...The way you have described certainly sounds like it would be less stressful to the plant...I will surely be watching to learn the results if you decide to proceed with this idea...

I am of the opinion that trees are often 'rushed' into repotting because of so often hearing that "nursery soil is not good for your tree" or "nursery soil causes root rot"...While I agree that nursery soil is NOT the best choice for a tiny bonsai pot, if it were as damaging to plants as we are often told the nurseries would soon quit using it and everyone would be using turface, lava, haydite, and the like in the nursery trade...

Please keep us updated on this...

Regards
Behr

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Joanie

Thank you, Behr! I will certainly let you know. I will take pictures of the progress of both trees.

Some of the nursery soil is certainly frightening, I just bought a Liquidamber Orientalis whose soil can only be described as silty dust!! Terrible!! But for some reason these little leptospermum were put in pretty good stuff...perhaps just to keep them alive, since they are so difficult. And removing the bottom of the pot and replacing it with wire can only help the drainage, eliminating the root rot problem, particularly when the pot gets progressively shorter!

Thank you for your reply!
Joanie

bwaynef

I stand corrected. Thats what I get for offering insight into something to which I dont have any. I had no idea these trees were tempermental about their roots. I'll file that away somehwere.

WF

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