Fixing Root Bound Trees

[Mr. Clean]

Some of my earlier planted trees may have been root bound when I planted them.  This was a few months ago.  Root bounding occurs when a tree is left in a pot for too long and the roots wrap around the inside of the pot.  When the roots grow along the perimeter, they strangle the other tree roots, stunting a trees growth.  I recently learned of this problem.  I think at least two of my trees were planted root bound.  I heard I could dig up these trees, cut the roots, and replant them...this seems a little invasive  I was thinking about using a shovel perpendicular to cut the root bounded roots along the perimeter, placing my shovel in at least 3-4 places along the perimeter.  I thought this might be less invasive.  Thoughts?

[fruitlovers]

Some of my earlier planted trees may have been root bound when I planted them.  This was a few months ago.  Root bounding occurs when a tree is left in a pot for too long and the roots wrap around the inside of the pot.  When the roots grow along the perimeter, they strangle the other tree roots, stunting a trees growth.  I recently learned of this problem.  I think at least two of my trees were planted root bound.  I heard I could dig up these trees, cut the roots, and replant them...this seems a little invasive  I was thinking about using a shovel perpendicular to cut the root bounded roots along the perimeter, placing my shovel in at least 3-4 places along the perimeter.  I thought this might be less invasive.  Thoughts?

That won't work. You assume the circling roots are where the shovel can cut them, but they could very well be right below the root ball. If you planted the tree recently it won'y be too invasive to dig them out if you do it right away. Suggest doing it at sunset to minimize possible drying out effect of sun.

[BMc]

I dig up my plants all the time, up to around 3 yrs old. Most recommend doing it in the winter, when they are dormant, but I've had best success during rainy monsoonal weeks in summer. Most don't even notice they've been uprooted. You should be okay to do it around these times, provided the cloud cover is good and you've got enough moisture about. Seaweed solution works great in rehab of any plants with pruned roots.

[Mike T]

Howdy BMc taking to the air tomorrow huh? i have trimmed rootbound potplants many times and you can go in hard on the circling roots around the edge and bottom of the pot and especially those shaping to be future trunk stranglers.It can be done in several stages a bit at a time if it looks like too much in one go.Seaweed and other tonics are good in the period beforehand as well as during convalescence.A tap root of sorts will still for if planted out.

If a rootbound plant is planted out without root trimmimg you can use the spade to put 3 or 4 deep soil cuts radiating from near the trunk.Clip through any that are circling close to the trunk and dig a bit to check for them.

[natsgarden123]

I would do nothing- I have planted a number of root bound plants in the past and they all did fine- Just my two cents.

[Patrick]

As long as the roots didnt make a Lasso around the tree.. Roots at the edge of the pot are normal, the problem is when a tree remains in a pot too long and outgrows it, the taproot will look like a hula-hoop at the bottom of the pot and rings will form at different levels.  When heavy circling happens in the pot, the tree never reaches out when planted and you end up with a tree that is very slow growing and easily toppled.

[zands]

Some of my earlier planted trees may have been root bound when I planted them.  This was a few months ago.  Root bounding occurs when a tree is left in a pot for too long and the roots wrap around the inside of the pot.  When the roots grow along the perimeter, they strangle the other tree roots, stunting a trees growth.  I recently learned of this problem.  I think at least two of my trees were planted root bound.  I heard I could dig up these trees, cut the roots, and replant them...this seems a little invasive  I was thinking about using a shovel perpendicular to cut the root bounded roots along the perimeter, placing my shovel in at least 3-4 places along the perimeter.  I thought this might be less invasive.  Thoughts?

I would clear way any mulch. Your root ball is still intact and visible. Clear away some of the dirt surrounding it best you can. Then burrow down with your hand and grab away at bound up roots. Or go at them with a small knife. I am always concerned about root bound plants and knife away at the roots on the sides and bottom of the pot before planting. Sometimes the roots were quite bound up and sometimes not much at all

[CoPlantNut]

As long as the roots didnt make a Lasso around the tree..

... Which generally won't be apparent for several years or even decades, but then the tree will just die. 

I agree that root-bound plants planted in the ground generally take off and grow fine and look like they are doing OK, but once the roots grow thick enough to start strangling each other, the plant will go into a rapid decline and there will be nothing you can do to save the plant.

I have a 32-year-old grapefruit tree which I started from a seed that illustrates this very well; I didn't root-prune as I should have when it was young, and it grew just fine despite that, until it turned 28.  It stopped growing new leaves.  Then all the branches died.  I pugged the plant at 5' high and went to repot it when I noticed the fatal flaw- one large root in a 6" circle strangling itself and all the other roots from the base of the trunk.

Had I root-pruned 26 years earlier when it was in a 6" pot, my tree would still be alive and happy today.  (It is still alive, but far from happy.)

So, I would highly suggest pruning those circling roots while you have a chance.  They may or may not cause problems in the future, but by the time you find out it will be too late to do anything about it.

   Kevin

[Patrick]

As long as the roots didnt make a Lasso around the tree..

... Which generally won't be apparent for several years or even decades, but then the tree will just die. 

I agree that root-bound plants planted in the ground generally take off and grow fine and look like they are doing OK, but once the roots grow thick enough to start strangling each other, the plant will go into a rapid decline and there will be nothing you can do to save the plant.

I have a 32-year-old grapefruit tree which I started from a seed that illustrates this very well; I didn't root-prune as I should have when it was young, and it grew just fine despite that, until it turned 28.  It stopped growing new leaves.  Then all the branches died.  I pugged the plant at 5' high and went to repot it when I noticed the fatal flaw- one large root in a 6" circle strangling itself and all the other roots from the base of the trunk.

Had I root-pruned 26 years earlier when it was in a 6" pot, my tree would still be alive and happy today.  (It is still alive, but far from happy.)

So, I would highly suggest pruning those circling roots while you have a chance.  They may or may not cause problems in the future, but by the time you find out it will be too late to do anything about it.

   Kevin

Sounds like you had Lasso's around your roots!

The best way to avoid circular root systems is to plant out a seed, then graft it on to the seedling.  That way you won't lose sleep for the next 35 years..

[CoPlantNut]

Sounds like you had Lasso's around your roots!

The best way to avoid circular root systems is to plant out a seed, then graft it on to the seedling.  That way you won't lose sleep for the next 35 years..

Yes, if you plant the seed directly in the ground that would work, except in Colorado where it would only live until winter comes.

It doesn't matter if it is grafted or not; if it was grown in a solid plastic or clay pot at some point, you're going to have circling roots if they weren't pruned when it was removed from the pot.  Fabric pots completely eliminate this problem.

   Kevin

[Cookie Monster]

Agree. Circling roots is not the same as rootbound. Circling roots is a fairly normal condition and should have no detriment to tree growth unless they are thick and hard.

As long as the roots didnt make a Lasso around the tree.. Roots at the edge of the pot are normal, the problem is when a tree remains in a pot too long and outgrows it, the taproot will look like a hula-hoop at the bottom of the pot and rings will form at different levels.  When heavy circling happens in the pot, the tree never reaches out when planted and you end up with a tree that is very slow growing and easily toppled.

[Tropicalgrower89]

Basically, when I plant a tree with normal circling roots and use my fingers (with gloves of course) and gently break-up the root ball so the roots will be straight out when I fill the hole with soil and lots of water to reduce or eliminate completely the air pockets.

[CoPlantNut]

Agree. Circling roots is not the same as rootbound. Circling roots is a fairly normal condition and should have no detriment to tree growth unless they are thick and hard.

Agreed; circling roots don't affect tree growth unless they are thick and hard.  The problem is that the circling roots will get thick and hard as the roots grow.  It may take 5 years or 30 for it to happen, but the consequences are bad.

   Kevin

[Patrick]

The trunk alone of most tropicals wont fit back into a three gallon pot after a couple years, the root system of a tall mango for example extends many feet from center to support the canopy.  The main problem with rootbound trees is the lack of sturdy foundation and ability to take up nutrients and water from the confined space thus causing a Bonzai effect on the tree. If you have a tree a few feet tall that is growing relatively normal with a sturdy foothold, chances are pretty good that your off to a great start!

[zands]

The trunk alone of most tropicals wont fit back into a three gallon pot after a couple years, the root system of a tall mango for example extends many feet from center to support the canopy.  The main problem with rootbound trees is the lack of sturdy foundation and ability to take up nutrients and water from the confined space thus causing a Bonzai effect on the tree. If you have a tree a few feet tall that is growing relatively normal with a sturdy foothold, chances are pretty good that your off to a great start!

I have a mango tree that is growing bonsai like and I am always careful to take care of any root bound problems before planting. After I get this years fruits off it I am going to dig around and look for root problems

[CoPlantNut]

I don't think anything would have saved this tree because it outlived its useful life. Citrus trees go into a decline period after 15-20 years.

Perhaps, but I can say for certain that my tree had actually tied its roots into a knot through circling, and as the roots grew thicker they strangled themselves.

I don't mean to imply that circling roots are always a death sentence either; it depends on the exact structure of the roots.  If the circling roots tie themselves in a knot or strangle the base of the root system though, the tree will eventually be much worse off for it.  I've seen field-grown trees die because their roots happened to tie themselves in a knot; there isn't much you can do about that.  But anytime you are re-potting or planting a tree with circling roots, it is always a good idea to straighten them out or cut them to try and avoid issues later.  Better safe than sorry.

   Kevin

[mangomandan]

I would be interested in knowing more about how you use a seaweed solution. Is it a spray?  Or root drench?  Once or twice?

I dig up my plants all the time, up to around 3 yrs old. Most recommend doing it in the winter, when they are dormant, but I've had best success during rainy monsoonal weeks in summer. Most don't even notice they've been uprooted. You should be okay to do it around these times, provided the cloud cover is good and you've got enough moisture about. Seaweed solution works great in rehab of any plants with pruned roots.

[Mr. Clean]

One of the trees I need to "fix" has five avocados on it about the size of a quarter.  It's a Monroe Avocado.  Any advice on how to save the avocados while doing the root rehab?

[natsgarden123]

Just keep in mind what I tell my students:

The Enemy of Good is Better

[SWRancher]

My first Pickering mango tree was root bound when I planted it. Long story short...I planted it, then watered it almost daily until it fixed itself a few months later. Several years later the tree is now very healthy and productive.   

[fruitlovers]

One of the trees I need to "fix" has five avocados on it about the size of a quarter.  It's a Monroe Avocado.  Any advice on how to save the avocados while doing the root rehab?

Suggest sacrificing the avocados and going ahead and pruning the roots.
I have some blue grape trees (Myrciaria vexator) that were root bound when i bought them, went ahead and stuck them in the ground and those 2 plants hardly ever grew at all. This reminds me, and years later, will have to finally pull those babies out and do it right!

[BMc]

I would be interested in knowing more about how you use a seaweed solution. Is it a spray?  Or root drench?  Once or twice?

I dig up my plants all the time, up to around 3 yrs old. Most recommend doing it in the winter, when they are dormant, but I've had best success during rainy monsoonal weeks in summer. Most don't even notice they've been uprooted. You should be okay to do it around these times, provided the cloud cover is good and you've got enough moisture about. Seaweed solution works great in rehab of any plants with pruned roots.

The one most often used here is 'Seasol', which is a concentrate. its mostly used a drench tonic. It also works well to sit plants in it for a while to let the tonic get into the roots before planting/replanting, as it is supposed to work well on transplant shock and i've had extremely positive results. Some people use it every two weeks! In these cases it is used in a spray on nozzle you fit to the end of your garden hose.

[Cookie Monster]

Your experience mirrors mine.

I would do nothing- I have planted a number of root bound plants in the past and they all did fine- Just my two cents.