Comments on: Root Bound Plants – Do As I Say, Not As I Do http://lifeonthebalcony.com/root-bound-plants-do-as-i-say-not-as-i-do/ Gardening Tips for Apartment and Condo Dwellers Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:49:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Fern http://lifeonthebalcony.com/root-bound-plants-do-as-i-say-not-as-i-do/comment-page-1/#comment-6001 Fern Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:42:11 +0000 http://lifeonthebalcony.com/?p=2576#comment-6001 Emily--You do need to move your plants into larger pots if you want your plant to get bigger, but if you're happy with the current size of your plant, then by all means, repot in the same pot. I would wait until there is no danger of frost in your area to repot your plants. You don't want your plant to have the stress of being repotted combined with the stress of below freezing temperatures. Depending on where you are in SC, that's probably in April sometime. Emily–You do need to move your plants into larger pots if you want your plant to get bigger, but if you’re happy with the current size of your plant, then by all means, repot in the same pot. I would wait until there is no danger of frost in your area to repot your plants. You don’t want your plant to have the stress of being repotted combined with the stress of below freezing temperatures. Depending on where you are in SC, that’s probably in April sometime.

]]> By: Emily http://lifeonthebalcony.com/root-bound-plants-do-as-i-say-not-as-i-do/comment-page-1/#comment-5988 Emily Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:39:27 +0000 http://lifeonthebalcony.com/?p=2576#comment-5988 Hi Fern, I love your blog, you just saved me a lot of $$ in new pots and frustration with a too-full balcony because I did not realize you could repot in the same planter!! I have just been moving my plants to bigger pots for years. Question: What is the best time of year to deal with root bound plants? It has been pretty cold here in South Carolina - is this something that should wait until Spring? Thank you!! Hi Fern,

I love your blog, you just saved me a lot of $$ in new pots and frustration with a too-full balcony because I did not realize you could repot in the same planter!! I have just been moving my plants to bigger pots for years.

Question: What is the best time of year to deal with root bound plants? It has been pretty cold here in South Carolina – is this something that should wait until Spring?

Thank you!!

]]> By: Mary C. http://lifeonthebalcony.com/root-bound-plants-do-as-i-say-not-as-i-do/comment-page-1/#comment-5981 Mary C. Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:17:33 +0000 http://lifeonthebalcony.com/?p=2576#comment-5981 Thank you so much Fern! You helped save at least one of my plants this weekend! I may have accidentally killed the bush I was talking about when I tried to prune it a couple week ago....but I re-potted his brother and found a huge mass of roots-still in the original nursery bucket! Wrote about it in my new gardening diary blog ;) http://marysgardeningendeavors.blogspot.com/2010/02/moved-butterfly-bush.html Also because of your post I immediately recognized one of my celery plants was root-bound when I was watering it and moved it to a bigger container :) The roots were poking up in the topsoil, before I would have thought the rain just washed some dirt away or that some clover seeds had started sprouting in there. You helped me figure out the real answer right away! Thank you so much Fern! You helped save at least one of my plants this weekend! I may have accidentally killed the bush I was talking about when I tried to prune it a couple week ago….but I re-potted his brother and found a huge mass of roots-still in the original nursery bucket! Wrote about it in my new gardening diary blog ;) http://marysgardeningendeavors.blogspot.com/2010/02/moved-butterfly-bush.html

Also because of your post I immediately recognized one of my celery plants was root-bound when I was watering it and moved it to a bigger container :) The roots were poking up in the topsoil, before I would have thought the rain just washed some dirt away or that some clover seeds had started sprouting in there. You helped me figure out the real answer right away!

]]> By: Fern http://lifeonthebalcony.com/root-bound-plants-do-as-i-say-not-as-i-do/comment-page-1/#comment-5950 Fern Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:34:53 +0000 http://lifeonthebalcony.com/?p=2576#comment-5950 Angela--I've had that happen to me in a different way. Last fall I arranged some plants still in their nursery pots around the base of one of my fruit trees to try and figure out what looked best. I forgot about them there and...oops...the plants in the nursery pots grew roots down through their drainage holes into the fruit tree's pot. Mary--Being root bound is a definite possibility! Angela–I’ve had that happen to me in a different way. Last fall I arranged some plants still in their nursery pots around the base of one of my fruit trees to try and figure out what looked best. I forgot about them there and…oops…the plants in the nursery pots grew roots down through their drainage holes into the fruit tree’s pot.

Mary–Being root bound is a definite possibility!

]]> By: angela http://lifeonthebalcony.com/root-bound-plants-do-as-i-say-not-as-i-do/comment-page-1/#comment-5949 angela Fri, 05 Feb 2010 07:38:19 +0000 http://lifeonthebalcony.com/?p=2576#comment-5949 Now, if you really want to keep a plant in a pot for 10 or more years and you don't want it to get root bound and die, put the pot on top of nice, rich soil (which, of course you cannot do in a balcony). Fern, your post is a reminder that I need to get my act together and deal with some aloes that I haven't re-potted in about 10 years. The roots grew through the drainage holes and dug deep into the ground. The plants are healthy. I am not sure they qualify as container plants any longer, though, and I do need to get them out of those pots. Now, if you really want to keep a plant in a pot for 10 or more years and you don’t want it to get root bound and die, put the pot on top of nice, rich soil (which, of course you cannot do in a balcony).

Fern, your post is a reminder that I need to get my act together and deal with some aloes that I haven’t re-potted in about 10 years. The roots grew through the drainage holes and dug deep into the ground. The plants are healthy. I am not sure they qualify as container plants any longer, though, and I do need to get them out of those pots.

]]> By: Mary C. http://lifeonthebalcony.com/root-bound-plants-do-as-i-say-not-as-i-do/comment-page-1/#comment-5947 Mary C. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:52:32 +0000 http://lifeonthebalcony.com/?p=2576#comment-5947 Oh, I think you just gave me the magic info I needed to figure out why one of our flowering bushes never gets as big and perky as it's neighbor... another item on the list for this weekend... provided there's at least one sunny day... Oh, I think you just gave me the magic info I needed to figure out why one of our flowering bushes never gets as big and perky as it’s neighbor… another item on the list for this weekend… provided there’s at least one sunny day…

]]> By: Fern http://lifeonthebalcony.com/root-bound-plants-do-as-i-say-not-as-i-do/comment-page-1/#comment-5945 Fern Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:09:07 +0000 http://lifeonthebalcony.com/?p=2576#comment-5945 Melanie--I've never been patient enough to grow asparagus. Don't you have to wait several years after planting it for it to produce anything you can harvest? Shari--Just don't go too crazy! Baby steps... ;-) Kimberly--Yeah, it's a real bummer when you have to deal with a root bound plant from the get go! Melanie–I’ve never been patient enough to grow asparagus. Don’t you have to wait several years after planting it for it to produce anything you can harvest?

Shari–Just don’t go too crazy! Baby steps… ;-)

Kimberly–Yeah, it’s a real bummer when you have to deal with a root bound plant from the get go!

]]> By: Kimberly http://lifeonthebalcony.com/root-bound-plants-do-as-i-say-not-as-i-do/comment-page-1/#comment-5940 Kimberly Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:32:09 +0000 http://lifeonthebalcony.com/?p=2576#comment-5940 I've gotten so many root-bound plants like that from the nursery. I am always amazed. I’ve gotten so many root-bound plants like that from the nursery. I am always amazed.

]]> By: shari http://lifeonthebalcony.com/root-bound-plants-do-as-i-say-not-as-i-do/comment-page-1/#comment-5938 shari Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:21:57 +0000 http://lifeonthebalcony.com/?p=2576#comment-5938 Thanks, Fern. I know I am a bit on the timid side when it comes to cutting things back. It's good to know I probably won't kill anything if I really have a go with the trusty old Felcos. :-) Thanks, Fern. I know I am a bit on the timid side when it comes to cutting things back. It’s good to know I probably won’t kill anything if I really have a go with the trusty old Felcos. :-)

]]> By: melanie watts http://lifeonthebalcony.com/root-bound-plants-do-as-i-say-not-as-i-do/comment-page-1/#comment-5937 melanie watts Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:48:56 +0000 http://lifeonthebalcony.com/?p=2576#comment-5937 Great informative post. I cut back the roots of an Asparagus densiflorus 'Sprengeri', n twice. It was hanging in a window and already in a huge pot. I also cut back some of the top growth, which seemed prudent, since I had cut off some of the plants roots. Great informative post. I cut back the roots of an Asparagus densiflorus ‘Sprengeri’, n twice. It was hanging in a window and already in a huge pot. I also cut back some of the top growth, which seemed prudent, since I had cut off some of the plants roots.

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