Root Bound Cotoneaster

wabashene

Hi,

Contrary to my current policy of concentrating on what I've got (as opposed to acquiring more trees), I found this too good of an opportunity.

A very large Cotoneaster on the sale table at a local garden centre for £20/$35 with 2 x 1 inch plus trunks.

Wildly overgrown with 6 foot branches. I had to prune it in the car park to get it into the car!

Have since removed a ton of branches as you can see but left trunk line(s) options open.

The root ball is absolutely solid and I had to cut the pot off. Although I've sawed the bottom half of the root ball off and soaked it I'm at a bit of a loss on how to proceed.

1/ Cut out wedges?

2/ Pointed stick and try to untangle?

3/ High pressure hose (and save the water of course)?

4/ Brute force and ignorance?

Anyone have a favoured method or combination.

Advice appreciated and it may help others.

The pic quality is low (but clear enough IMO) in order to fit the file on sorry.

Thanks

TimR

Attached Images

BT MONTAGE.jpg (41.5 KB, 278 views)

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pootsie

Tim:

Although i've never worked with cottoneaster before (ALERT!) I've worked with other nursery plants with similar root issues.

One approach I've used is to hack off the lower portion as you have. Then, I cut away the stringy roots on the top to see where the trunk goes under there. At some point you will find where the largest roots emerge. Remove the big ones that grow down, but leave enough to support the plant. Use a root rake or chop stick to separate what's left as best you can. Trim to begin to shape nebari. Repeat the process in a year or two.

*REMEMBER I don't know what a cottoneaster can take as far as root removal.

FWIW,
pootsie

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wabashene

Marlin spike and a pickaxe I think would be better.

They're tough cookies alright and I've reduced the top so much I think I could go pretty far.

I've got some long thin cold chisels I use for the granite lanterns that might do it.

Now there's a thought.

Thanks for giving me a direction.

TimR

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pootsie

Tim:

Working with garden centre stock has its challenges. The first repot is a $%*&@!

The pot-bound roots are pretty much braided (and braids turn into dreadlocks if left long enough, lol). They cross and weave and go in and out. The more you can cut off the better, but again I'm not familiar with cottoneaster so seek more advice.

Use a rake or chopstick and work from the outside in, bit by bit. Starting at the center and working out will just end up ripping and destroying.

good luck

pootsie

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clrosner

I'm more of a conservative..... From what you described you have already stressed the tree quite a bit. I would venture only one more step and that is to take some pie wedge cuts of the rootball and then repot it and leave it alone in an over sized pot for a year or two to recover.

Just my 2 cents!

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wabashene

Just for the record, this 5 ft tall, root bound, twin trunk monster is now a 5 in high stump doing extremely well.

There's some horrendous scars here and there that I will probably incorporate into the design as hollows.

TimR

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PatArizona

G'day Tim...

Listen to Pootsie...good advice...

"...Hack off the lower portion…
Cut away the stringy roots on the top…
Remove the big (roots) that grow down…leaving enough to support the plant…
Use a root rake (or root hook) or chop stick to separate what's left…
Work from the outside in, bit by bit. Starting at the center, working out will rip and destroy…
Trim to begin to shape nebari…
Repeat the process in a year or two...".

As to "...take some pie wedge cuts of the rootball...", with no disrespect to Carl intended...I fully understand that the "pie wedge" practice has been taught, written about, demonstrated, and practiced for many, many years...in fact I used to do the pie wedge myself...and lost a fist full of trees in the process. When you "...take some pie wedge cuts (out) of the rootball...", you could be removing half or more of the young, vigorous new roots...most of which you might want to keep.

From my experience, and in my opinion...the humblest of opinions I might add..., the use of the "pie wedge" practice is a very very bad thing.

For whatever it's worth...


Pat

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wabashene

Pat,

Thanks.

Well I actually attacked this pretty severely with a home made root hook and reduced the root ball by a good 60%.

Here's what I said about the root hook elsewhere as a "Tool Tip":

" In anticipation of tackling an extremely root bound Cotoneaster and Weeping Willow this weekend, I devised a couple of root hooks from a 1M length of flat steel bar.

Tools required are a hacksaw, something to grind a point on the end and a file to smooth rough edges. I used a disc grinder with a metal cutting disc.

I wrapped the handle with bat tape.

"Holy rootbound bonsai Batman!"

Takes about 5 minutes and is extremely effective."

*********************

Didn't do much growing 'til about mid May then really started to shoot.

Since then I've taken off the secondary trunk and have chopped back again to go for a sumo shohin type tree.

This already has a chunky nebari and I'm leaving low down shoots to help swell the trunk and heal scars.


TimR

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root hook.jpg (22.0 KB, 55 views)

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jfecme

I have used my ordinary garden hose with a nozzle attached to "drive out" of teh ball as much loose material as possible, then start trying to identify where the spirals are going, unwinding and pulling them apart carefully with my rake and root hook. I alternate this process several times in an attempt to preserve as much of the fine roots as possible. Eventually I wind up with several long, contorted and large roots dangling from the trunk which makes it infinitely easier to identify where to make root cuts.

Be careful about the water pressure. When I first started using this method I found that loose material moving at high pressure with the water can completely remove soft tissue down to the cambium layer and further. So use moderate pressure, just enough to assist in untangling the mass.

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