rootmaker pots

[fyliu]

Pecan trees? Why? It really needs the long taproot?
I have them growing out some pots. Squirrels bury them in the winter.

[Tom]

I read that somewhere on the rootmaker web site. I don't think it's the tap root. Maybe the pecan roots don't like air pruning. It's something like that. I will try to find it but I bet Millet will read this soon and be all over it. Tom

[Tom]

I kept looking and finally found what I was looking for. Dr. Whitcomb says he found pecan roots too big for the rootmaker high 5 gallon grounders. The pecan roots don't grow into the holes and air prune. The pecan roots circle the pot like the rootmaker pots are made to prevent. Tom

[Millet]

Even though this is a citrus forum Tom's pecan/RootMaker container question is quite interesting.   Dr.Carl Whitcomb, inventor of the Root Maker air root pruning container goes on to explain a solution to the Pecan question.
 
1. Germinate pecan seed in flats with a a mesh bottom and solid sides.  Place newspaper in the bottom of the flat. Cover with 2 inches of propagation mix and spread pecan seeds uniformly across the surface.  Then add enough mix to cover 1/2 of the seed.

2. Allow the seeds to germinate and extend the tap root down and through the newspaper so the tip of the taproot is air pruned.  The tip will change from near white to black.

3. As soon as the tip of the taproot has been air pruned, transplant the seeds into large propagation containers such as the RootMaker !!, 18 cell trays. The double air-pruning of the taproot causes the taproot to branch into many side roots.

4. Allow the seedlings to grow in the propagation containers for roughly 8 weeks.

5. Transplant the seedlings into 5 - 7 gallon Root Trapper containers for the first season  and some of the second growing season , or until the seedlings reach 4 or 5 feet tall, and with good root systems ready for grafting or transplanting.  - Millet

[robbyhernz]

Hello Millet,

You gave me a sample of the 18' roll along with root trapping material last year. Since then, I have purchased multiple items from Rootmaker; I am a BIG fan! For the life of me, however, i can't find the root trapping material you sent along the the rootmaker 2 roll. What is it called on rootmaker.com? I don't want to purchase a roll without first knowing the name of the fabric that goes underneath it.

Also, did you notice they changed the height from 18' to 17"? I wonder why they did that? They use to give you the option of 18" and 21" or something like that. Since we plant citrus that will eventually get big, I don't like that they made them even lower.

best,

Robert

[Millet]

Robert it is really great seeing you posting here.  The product that you place a Root Builder container is called Root Cap™ weed barrier disk.  I did not know that the 18" high Root Builder 100-ft. roll is now 17" high.  The other size Root Builder is 30" tall.  How is everything going with your trees?  It should be getting hot in your part of the country. The best - Millet

[robbyhernz]

Millet,

The root cap goes on top, but what I am looking for is the gray/white fabric you sent me that goes on the bottom. Do you order the root barrier fabric and then cut it to size?

My trees are doing GREAT! I put them in my first ever greenhouse this winter and they grew the entire winter! My greenhouse was a huge success!!! It is heating up, however, so I converted it back to a shade house. I will have my first ever, home-grown Ruby Grapefruits, Sanguinelle Blood Orange, cara-cara and Gold Nugget Mandarin. All the trees have golf ball sized fruit on the tree already. My Mexican Lime grown from seed is blooming for the 1st time in its young life as well.

Hope you are doing great as well Millet!

[Millet]

Robert, sorry for the mistake, must have been a senior moment.  I should know better, because I buy the Caps and have them on top of all of my containers.  They really conserve water. What your looking for is called Root Builder-11 bases (see link below).  I did not see them on the retail section.  On the Wholesale section of the RootMaker.com web site they show a minimum order of $50.00  for the  bases. Reading Dr. Whitacomb's book, he says you can also use a concrete floor or a sheet of polyethylene.  I have several large Root Builder containers setting on a concrete floor, and also containers setting upon polyethylene, works fine.

http://www.rootmaker.com/products_bases.php#jump

[bastrees]

I know this is an old thread (even before the forum told me, lol), but I have a question about ordering on the wholesale portion of the website. I know that Millet has a wholesale application, so I think this question is more directed to Brian. Do they require an EIN number or some other proof of a wholesale application to order there? I am considering a 100 foot roll to start repotting into the Rootmakers, however I am just a backyard/attic grower and do not have any wholesale credentials.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Barbara

[brian]

I ordered it from a reseller, no special registration required it was like any other consumer purchase.

Just google search for 'rootmaker 100ft roll', click product search, it should show a link to 'RootBuilder II -- 18 in x 100 ft Roll' from sellers.

[Mark in Texas]

I know this is an old thread (even before the forum told me, lol), but I have a question about ordering on the wholesale portion of the website. I know that Millet has a wholesale application, so I think this question is more directed to Brian. Do they require an EIN number or some other proof of a wholesale application to order there? I am considering a 100 foot roll to start repotting into the Rootmakers, however I am just a backyard/attic grower and do not have any wholesale credentials.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Barbara

I got wholesale pricing on a roll.  There are a couple of very minor issues I had and reported to Wayne, you might check it out with him or the good Dr.  The roll is not 18" wide, more like 16.5". 

2.  It's a pain to water being that the holes run almost to the top.  I recommended the next time they retool to run straight unperforated plastic at the top to form a watering well, like you'd have in a conventional pot.  If you're not careful you'll get a bit of runoff out the holes as you water which results in dry spots. Here's some photos of my RootBuilder pots FWIW. http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=7511.50

Having said that, I've been fooling around with root tip pruning systems for years and my favorite is still copper hydroxide paint, painted on the walls of a conventional pot.  It is foolproof compared to air pruning.

Good luck,
Mark

[swimmingfree]

im using the superoots air pots and i have the same thing going on with them...
swimmingfree

[brian]

I'm happy with the rootmaker rolls.  I like that you can join multiple pieces together to make a larger pot.  The largest "free" nursery pots I have are around 7gal. 

All the complaints above are certainly accurate but not too big of a deal in my experience.