Root bound, what to do?

[Elsweeto]

I have some plants that I have been holding back in small pots for space reasons; I am nearly ready to pot them on.

I'm thinking about root trimming them like you would with a bonsai mother to allow them grow new roots that are not bound up, they are in small 1 pint pots though will this be to much damage for a small root system to handle?

 

[RetroGrow]

Just put them in bigger pots. They will be fine. I would not trim the roots.

 

[RM - aquagrower]

Take a look at "double potting".

You simply cut off the bottom of the pot that they are in now, and "plant" the whole thing (pot and all) into another pot.

Should buy you some time.

 

[supermanlives]

grab a serrated knife and trim some rootmass away no big deal as long as there aint too much foliage. i have a bread knife just for this

 

[exploziv]

you can trim a bit of the roots, just not flower or apply another stress to them soon after. leave them around 2-3 weeks after and they should be well and fully recovered.

 

[fungzyme]

In that case, I don't trim chunks of roots off, but if there is a large group of circled roots at the bottom I do make slices into that area (and discard any root pieces) in the belief that it will help stimulate root branching faster when I transplant.

 

[vapedg13]

there is no rootbound...just the need to water more often

 

[wildgrow]

Youre transplanting into a pot thats probably much bigger than a pint. Just muss up those roots some and stick it in the fresh soil. cheers

 

[Crusader Rabbit]

If you were planting a tree, these tangled roots could become a problem down the line as it grows. But this is a pot plant which will die of old age within three months from now.

Just muss up those roots some and stick it in the fresh soil.

 

[FRIENDinDEED]

losing some roots is not an issue and i really dont understand why ppl are making it seem as though it is.

when you take the plant out to re-pot it, your going to have some "straggler" roots that will be hanging down, with that there will be a balled up mass of roots where the medium will be the hardest o get rid of.

just trim those straggler roots off and leave the massive balled up roots intact for the repotting.

you didnt give any dimensions so its hard to give you specific advice to greater help you out with regard to what you may be able to buy for teh repotting (ie. 3lt soda bottles perhaps?)

lol, but then again you kinda answered your own question in your first post:

I have some plants that I have been holding back in small pots for space reasons; I am nearly ready to pot them on.

I'm thinking about root trimming them like you would with a bonsai mother to allow them grow new roots that are not bound up, they are in small 1 pint pots though will this be to much damage for a small root system to handle?

so there you have it, right?

 

[Elsweeto]

Ye I was pretty sure of what I was doing but I'm not to proud to ask for second opinion.

They'll be moving up into 5 gallon reuseable shopping bags. you know the ones there made from polyester fabric and make great Ghetto root pruners.

Thanks a million for all your replies gents.

 

[foomar]

just trim those straggler roots off and leave the massive balled up roots intact for the repotting.

If they are alive i would spread them out and save them , they are often the aggressive roots that produce feeding structures later on , and is common horticultural practice to retain them unless trying to restrict growth.

 

[wildgrow]

If you were planting a tree, these tangled roots could become a problem down the line as it grows. But this is a pot plant which will die of old age within three months from now.

Well ya, CR. If it were a tree you would want to prune away strangler roots. I plant and care for hundreds of annuals and perrienials yearly. Ive had petunias, that have root-bound in nursery 6-packs, die w/out some loosening of the rootmass.
Im not saying the root needs to be sliced or torn open. cheers

 

[Bloom]

Wow, That SoLo cup and TREE trick is insane. That proves alot of people wrong lol... Nice grow!

 

[Phychotron]

in the future you should consider the super roots air pots. especially the 'air cell' that is 1L and perfect for saving space on younger plants, the same footprint as a solo cup.
great for prepping transplants. I have a few 5L that I use for flower occasionally that work fine (converting to the autopot).

If you've ever tried to wash an air pruning 'bag' vs the air pots you'd know you could wash your whole garden worth in the time it would take to try and desalt/deroot/wash just one bag.

There is an imitation brand, that has a more square looking inner structure I've seen in the store, but very flimsy in comparison. The Superroots brand looks invincible, with the exception of the tie knob, which could easily be replaced or ghetto fashioned.


Rogue hydro sells the air cells cheapest I've seen (unit 2.15, + shipping ~$3 each) but there was also another place that would only fill orders of $25+ (so they don't sell you more on shipping than your stuff) that had them for HALF the price (no estimate on shipping, they are a ghetto 'real place' who don't know how to build a website, it was marketed toward tree growers.)

 

[JCChronic]

phycotron is speaking wisely, but it takes the space of about a 2L coke bottle and they are 1L. I've been using them through veg and then put the whole thing in a 5 gal with a bit of it sitting higher than the pot. there's a learning curve on watering but you'll find a style.

 

[Phychotron]

The trick is to pack it in a little bit, to the top. Eventually if you water directly in the center it will erode out a bowl shape that you can fill up. If you don't pack it in enough the soil will contract when dry, and spillage can come out of the holes.

 

[oneshot]

in the future you should consider the super roots air pots. especially the 'air cell' that is 1L and perfect for saving space on younger plants, the same footprint as a solo cup.
great for prepping transplants. I have a few 5L that I use for flower occasionally that work fine (converting to the autopot).


Rogue hydro sells the air cells cheapest I've seen (unit 2.15, + shipping ~$3 each) but there was also another place that would only fill orders of $25+ (so they don't sell you more on shipping than your stuff) that had them for HALF the price (no estimate on shipping, they are a ghetto 'real place' who don't know how to build a website, it was marketed toward tree growers.)

What exactly make these better? Just curious. Also, you probably couldn't do Hempy buckets with these correct?

 

[Elsweeto]

Listen I put those bags in the washing machine and they come out fresh and ready to go. They cost 2 euro in the super market and are excellent as air pruning pots. I've been through a good few cycles now and they are holding up nicely.

So if all you want is a 5-7 gallon air pruning pot they are very effective, cost very little and can be had anywhere they are well worth thinking about.

 

[razor ridge]

just roll the root mass back and forth between your hands gently, loosening the soil. Then holding the root mass in both hand take your fingers and gently work them into the center of the root mass and tease the mass apart into two a wide base and plant it spread out like wings.