Pot-bound plants!

If the plant allows (some plants do not like roots disturbance such as peony, clematis, proteas, eucalyptus passion) I tease some roots out all round the sides and at the bottom but never enough to break them I also plant a big hole and add plenty of compost and then really soak but I dont heel in too much let the water do it mostly.
Dare I suggest that this looks like dry planting to me Spritzhenry if some plants are planted dry they may never get the water at the roots. Did you put in a dry hole? not water much? and in this dry summer perhaps it all added up? I wonder if you put it in a bucket of water if it might still be alive difficult to tell by the pic?

A lot of pot bought plants are growing in a peat compost and the roots are not keen to try something new, like garden soil. Hence, they stay clumped up like the one Spritz is showing.
If I buy a plant and it has fiberous roots and is pot bound then I break the root out. I use a large bowle of water and firstly soak the root ball. Then I get in with the fingers and tease the roots out, being as rough as necessary. The plant shown in the picture would not have suffered if it had lost a few of is finer roots. I finish off by washing as much of the growers compost as possible out of the roots before planting in the ground with the roots now spread out.

I thought peat compost had mainly gone Bulbaholic?

I have been known to attack a pot-bound plant with a fork (kitchen not garden) and then mix compost with soil to backfill - seems to work for me and I've got very heavy soil.

Also, dig a much larger hole than the pot size and incorporate some compost then the roots have 'soft' soil to grow into. Make sure you firm it in so that the rootball is in contact with the surrounding soil.

Thanks - I think I'll dig up the new one, and be a bit rougher with it!

No, Denise, I planted it 'properly' with home-made compost around the planting hole, and it was watered well for the first year - I really thought it was thriving! Of course, it was actually more like a potted plant without the pot - so in the last few weeks when the weather has been dry, it suffered...and died.

I find the best tool for teasing congested roots out is a particular type of pen. I use one which is 'conical-shape like a steep pointy cone'. Don't know if you can picture that. I find it does the job more perfectly than anything, on all kinds of roots, of plants great and small. Teaseing roots out is an art in itself.

I am allways worried about damaging plants by being tough with the roots in plants like this.
as Bulbaholic said lots of plants have peat in the pots. In my local garden centre 90% of the plant labels tell you to replant into peat free compost but goes on to say that the pot the plant is currently in contains around 80% peat.

...which is completely unhelpful, isn't it!

I am off to carry out the advice...the plant's in a bucket of water at the moment! Wish me luck!

i often attck with a bread knife and most plants have enough root to draw up the water. best thing as many have said is to soak thoroughly first, water the planting home too then plant etc and rewater.

I often swish the roots of plants round in a bucket of water before planting out, more often than not it is enough to remove a goodly amount of the original compost.
One of the things not already mentioned is that the compost can be far richer and with more readily available nutrients than the soil into which is it planted, so the roots stay where they are.
Also once a root begins to grow round in a circle, it tends to continue doing that.

Well, I've done it! I used a daisy grubber and a bucket of water to start with, then I ran the hose on it. I did this twice, and then planted it.

Fingers crossed, now!

Please keep us informed of the patient's progress Barbara! That certainly sounds like the best way to loosen up the roots.

This was a good question..lol. i,m going to lift a couple of plants i planted in the last few days and do the same.

Yes, OK. I hope it will just errr...grow and flower! lol.

I hope my problem helps you, User.

I've read this with great interest, but I have to tell you, it took me years to learn how rough to be when breaking up that pot shape - answer - very rough indeed. I have even been known, with one that looks llike yours in the pic, Spritz, to take the "claw" and rake it down the outside of the rootball. By claw, I mean a hand tool, which has six straight steel tines, fanning out slightly and bent at a right angle at the top inch, with sharp, pointy tips. I have also torn open the bottom, literally, with my hands to break that shape. the only time I'm gentle and tease out the coiled roots is when its a newish plant that hasn't been growing long, and just has those long, thin, coiled roots at the bottom. I'm often accused of being really rough with the plants - but I've never lost one yet, in 20 years. So, be brave, give it some welly, Spritz!

I did, Bamboo! I was viscious with it! I really don't want to lose this one - it's a very pretty little shrub - do you know it?

I've tried to loosen roots when I've had pot-bound plants before - and they've all been OK bar one more - a Jasmine that only grew a little, and I took it out - that had only put out a few roots, the rest being still in a pot-shape.

From now on - rough is the word!

I always hesitate to say it, just in case people rend the rootball in two by mistake, but yes, being rough with something so rooty is the only way...

THAT would rate as an 'Ooops'!

In the past, I've just soaked the rootball, teased the roots a bit, and planted it (properly)....:-)

I must say, from the look of that photo, that looks like a "soak and stand on it" job, probably with a bit of jumping up and down on it as well....

I have literally sawed a pot bound salvia to pieces - taking shavings off the sides to allow the root system to get going again.In fact my mother cam out to the garden to ask if I wanted a drink whilst I was doing it, and beat a hasty retreat back inside, as apparently I looked like a crazed maniac. When it was repotted, it doubled in size as it could then take in sufficient water. I agree with Bamboo - as rough as you can - unless the label specifically says not to. I remember Toby Buckland saying on gardeners world that you should tickle the roots - I think you should rip them! The bread knife is one of my favourite tools for this too, particularly if held in a mencing fashion. It is quite effective at getting the plant to get moving with its root system - could it be fear? ;-))

I usually soak in pot, tease out roots with small garden fork, did hole bigger than pot mix compost with soil (sometimes water the hole, if planting at the wrong time of year!!) and keep watering all through the season...........

I do, too - and normally add some chicken manure pellets, but in this case, I was far too gentle, obviously! The photo makes it look worse because I put the poor thing out on the path in the sun and it dried out quite a lot.

From now on - ROUGH!!

Right then - ROUGH it is from now on here too!!
Muddywellies, I can endorse this drastic method! Earlier in the year I too took an old breadknife to a complete potful of root on an ill looking rockery type phlox, The rootball was about 12" deep and across and it took all my strength to reduce it in all directions by 1/3. It was like sawing wood! A good haircut followed this and the Phlox is now a lovely healthy luxuriant green. I wouldn't go to this extreme on everything though!

Interesting....and amazing that plants actually THRIVE on this treatment! LOL.

Well it WAS kill or cure Barbara!

....and you, Dr. Lily, cured it! ;-))

When I bought it several years ago I also bought one for my friend. Hers still looks like mine did before the 'treatment' and I don't think she'll get around to doing it herself as she's not now in the best of health I may just go round there armed with the breadknife one day when I'm feeling strong! lol

Will it survive, is the question! lol.

Of course it will, Dr Lily is on the case - but I might not if it puts up too much of a fight! lol

I notice, Lily2 and Muddywellies, that you both use the bread knife - I've got an old one I kept for cutting turves, but I must say, the breadknife seems to be the most efficient tool for cutting through a dense rootball - I must confess to even using my kitchen breadknife (which is sharper) and then giving it a thorough wash and replacing it in the drawer - while no-one else is looking, of course!

Sssshhhh Bamboo, we won't tell. Haven't we all done this sort of thing! Very useful things - breadknives :o))

Thorough washing is the important part - I remember having to whip away a freshly sliced sandwich from under hubby's nose which had a strange earthy residue where it had been cut...no idea why that would happen...

LOL. Did he notice, Mw?

If he's anything like mine, he didn't notice - mine rewatches the same reruns of Friends every week and swears he's not seen them before....

LOL.

I'm not sure he actually saw the soil, but he was very suspicious why I, the person who normally throws the plate in his general direction and walks off, suddenly thought that it wouldn't be the same unless I put some extra mustard in the sandwich - before he'd even tasted it! He would go MAD if he knew I used kitchen equipment in the garden, as he thinks every leaf and blade of grass is tainted with cat poo!

YUK!! Is it?? Do I dare read the answer?? lol.

Spritz - if you have seen the pics of my cats you would be able to see that they are very discerning and would never do that! They used to use one bed until I stuck in a load sticks and twigs, so they got a bit of a poke up the bum when they tried to go - and now they use the neighbour's gardens! LOL! Oh dear...I hope that's not too controversial a comment...

Oooohhh!! I shall have to have a word with them....lol.