Thank you so much everyone.... I have
been really delighted with all the very interesting replies and I have
decided to 'take the bull by the horns'. I purchased a very healthy looking
Cestrum elegans purpurea today and it had
somewhat encircled roots but it looked well so I have teased out carefully some of the fine and uncircled a few of the bigger roots. I felt it was the right thing to do in
this case. I threw in some blood and bone with the organomas
and watered it well in ...so lets see.
I also found a lovely Ocimum x basilicum purpureum?? (I think its
that) ...has anyone experience
of this in a Mediterranean
climate? I found an article on it in one of the MGS journals today by
chance.
Pamela
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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