DENNIS PLANT GARDEN
Plant Care & Information
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reativity
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Working with
Root Bound PLants
Photo Credit (C) Dennis Lee Brown 2017
ROOT BOUND ROOTS
Over grown root systems
Working& Fixing
ROOT BOUND
Photo Credit (C) Dennis Lee Brown 2017
Re-potting a Root Bound Plant
Q. What is “Rootbound”?
A. Any plant's root system that has grown filling the container with roots to the point that there is no longer any room for farther growth. The roots are confined in a container for any length of time can become root bound. When a plant is grown naturally in the ground, it spreads it roots out throughout the soil. Most root-bound plants are simply plants (root system) that have grown too large for their container or pot.
It is inevitable that as a plant grows in a container, it will become root bound sooner or later and need transplanting into a larger plant container. There are several reasons that a houseplant may need transplanting into another container:
Transparent a houseplant when:
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The Plant has outgrown its’ pot
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The Plant has become “top heavy” and keeps falling over from the weight
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When you see roots sticking out the drainage holes, which is an indication that the plant has become root bound
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The Plant need fresh nutrients because the plant has consumed all the compounds of the soil, and the plant has halted growth and looks weak or sickly, the soil needs refreshing, (top dressing can help with this problem)
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Infested potting soil, it has bugs, disease, or mold
Avoid these things during re-potting
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DO NOT shake of excess soil
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DO NOT bang the root ball to loosen the roots
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DO NOT rough up the root
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DO NOT cut or tare the root (if cutting is a must… trim as little as possible to achieve the re-potting)
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DO NOT break the root a loose, just barely, gently loosen the outer roots without disturbing the root ball
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Packed Bound Roots
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Gently work the packed roots a lose with taring them Repotting a Rootbound Plant
Plants grown in the ground such as in a garden, the root grow freely and spread out underground and all direction mainly in a downward pattern. However, houseplants grow in planters, flowerpots, or containers, when the root system outgrows the container that it is living in, the plant becomes root or pot bound. This means that the root system grows throughout all the soil in the planter until there is no more room for it to continue growing, and at this point plant growth halts. To break this root cycle, it is best to repot the plant in a larger flowerpot, which will encourage continued and new growth. It has been debated, “Cut the packed bound roots” or “Do not cut the pot bound roots”. Cut and/or torn roots can in some cases cause harm “root shock” to a rather healthy plant and transplanting is surely can cause “transplant shock”, which will indeed slow the growth of the plant, and sometimes cause loss of leaf’s and/or limbs, and even death to the plant.
When transplanting or reporting a plant, do as little as possible to the root ball during re-potting, even if the roots become packed from being pot-bound. Loosen the roots just enough for them to catch hold to the new soil, this limits the amount of root shock.
Soak the Root ball
After the root ball has been dislodged from the plant container, thoroughly soak the root to insure that the “center” of the root ball is wet (GREENTHUMB TIP: In most cases the center of a rootbound roots, they are too packed to allow water to penetrate to the center and it just runs through the container holes – therefore, SOAK THE ROOT BALL. Allow all the water to drain before re-potting.
ROOT BOUND ROOTS
Roots become bound by wrapping themselves around the inside of the pot because they have no place to go, eventually they will grow through the container drainage holes, cutting off a way for water to escape, drowning the plant.
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Ralph Ivy - Root bound, plant growth
hindered, roots has no where to go
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Root growing through drainage holes clogging water flow
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Roots has absorbed all the soil and nutrients can starve the plant
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Roots packed too tight to allow water and oxygen in
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Gently work roots aloose for transparenting and/or re-potting
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