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My explanation about rearranging the roots before
planting is a general rule, and like with anyother rule, there are exceptions to
it. I can't recall of any plant that I've killed because of messing with its
roots, but I have seen lots of examples of declining trees and shrubs due to bad
planting practices (including leaving the rootball intact). The one execption I
can think of are palms, yuccas, agaves and such type of plants. Their
finger-like roots are very prone to rot when injured, so I always leave those
intact before planting. But again, as a general rule, in my climate, my soil and
with the type of plant material usually available, I have better chance for
success if I do rearrange the roots of cointainer-grown plants. This procedure
usually means a little less growth the first years after planting if some
roots need to be cut, but the plant will be happier and longer lived.
As I always think when I am planting a tree or shrub and messing with its roots,
"The pain now is part of the happiness then".
Fran
Madrid, Spain
----- Original Message -----
From:
T*@plantsoup.com
To: c*@gmail.com
Cc: s*@gmail.com ; f*@xerijardin.com ; m*@ucdavis.edu
Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2008 8:14
PM
Subject: Re: Is there an answer??
Some plants are notoriously sensitive to root
disturbance, Carol. Two that come to mind right away are bougainvillea
and Matilija poppy (Romneya sp).
It would be interesting to assemble a list of plants that we all know
about as being sensitive to root disturbance. Anyone else have a
contribution?
Nan
On Mar 1, 2008, at 11:09 AM, Carol Joynson wrote:
Actually, my point was not so much the heartbreak of
poinsettias, but that there are plants that DON"T appreciate having their
roots rearranged. My question to the assembled is: is this
common enough to warrant doing a search on every plant, or is it relatively
rare? And, does anyone know of a list somewhere: "Don't touch the
roots of these plants!"?
On Thu, Feb 28, 2008 at 8:11 PM, N Sterman <T*@plantsoup.com>
wrote:
Those fancy poinsettias are so
hybridized so far from the species that they are not bred to survive as
garden plants. If you want to grow one as a garden plant, look for a
species....
Nan
On Feb 28, 2008, at 1:51 PM, Cathe' wrote:
I have lost indoor poinsettias too. I don't
understand their needs. I
had one outdoors in Caracus,
Venezuela, and it was a bush about 6' wide by 8' tall. I hardly touched
it and it loved the tropical climate.
When I lived in Chico CA,
the previous owner planted 4 dogwoods, which never grew an inch while i
lived there (4 years). They were supposedly 7 years old. Curious,
I dug down, and I found giant roots circling the tree as if still in a
container.
I have a really good luck with planting trees
following the guidelines of University of California Davis which we have
been taught as Master Gardeners. This is to pull the root out of the pot
as suggested earlier. I always do this in a nursery Nursery people
that complain do not receive my business. I make sure there are not
circling roots strangling the plant/tree, and no J roots.
Once I
have combed the tree roots in preparation to plant, I prune the
roots that are brown (outside and inside) until I see nice white (brown
on the outside and white inside).
Cathe'
On Thu, Feb 28,
2008 at 1:02 PM, Carol Joynson <c*@gmail.com> wrote:
All
good advice and true, but how do you know who the spoilers are?
I got lucky and looked up poinsettia on the web before I moved it from
its Christmas pot to a bigger pot on the patio. The advice was
"don't disturb the roots." I didn't, and the plant thrived so
well that the next year I needed to move it to a bigger pot. At
which point my brain broke down and I forgot all advice and spread the
roots. Dead poinsettia. So - is there a rule of thumb for
which roots to disturb, or is it individual research?
On Thu, Feb 28, 2008 at 11:38 AM, Francisco J.
de la Mota <f*@xerijardin.com> wrote:
Pamela,
Many nurseries (not all, but a good
bunch of them) don't take good care of the root system of the plants
they grow. Very often, plants are set too deep in de pot and the
rootball is not disturbed when repoted, leading to a concentric web
of spiralized eventually girdling roots. Talking about Spanish
Garden Centers (where I assume you purchase your plants), very often
a plant that is not sold right away will remain in the same pot for
many years until it is finally sold. So.... Always check the roots
of your plants before planting! I buy plants from all over Europe
and the USA, and now (after poor results with some
plants) I always wash of all the soil from plants that have
been pot grown and cut away all the girdling/potentially girdling
roots that have already developed. Then, I plant them in the new
soil (no soil from the original pot added) and at the right depth. I
do this with trees and shrubs. With perennials, I only loose the
rootball.
Checking the root system before
planting is something not than common in Spain for the average
gardener yet. Besides, many "gardeners" here have had no training as
gardeners at all... so false myths keep on rolling around,
unfortunately.
Fran
Madrid, Spain
-----
Original Message -----
From:
p*@re-taste.com
To:
m*@ucdavis.edu
Sent:
Thursday, February 28, 2008 7:47 PM
Subject:
Is there an answer??
I have been given
alot of conflicting advice regarding planting small trees and
perennials from tubs over the past years and whether one should
plant the root ball intact ('don't touch it'! I have been
told) or tease out the roots gently. My (part
time) gardener here in the Costa Blanca (not Spanish I hasten
to add) says that I must not disturb the root ball. I
ask this because I have had several plants die on me after 2 years
( Echium candicans, Leonotis leonoris as examples) and when I
pulled up the plant the root ball was completely bound up, dried
up and had not spread out. Both of these plants had
'sister' plants' planted at the same time and which are
very successful. I have a watering system on all plants
until established.
The conflicting
advice to 'fan out the roots' when planting is very much of
interest and I would be fascinated to hear opinions from the
very experienced members of this group about this conundrum for me
and would appreciate any other information that could be
helpful.
I am
thinking of planting a Papaya ( Paw Paw) this Spring.
Best
wishes
Pamela
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