Another Lilac in Container Question

15 years ago

Greetings! This is my 1st post on this forum. Thanks in advance for all the information and knowledge that is shared so generously here. I was reading another recent thread on lilac in container, and wasn't sure if it was best to post there or start a new thread and decided on the latter. I've also spent a lot of time on Al's posts for water movement in containers. Very educational and I will definitely be looking for ingredients so I can try Al's mix sometime soon.

I am quite new to gardening, and I don't have any ground to plant in (live in a condo), but I have a huge balcony & lots of containers. I have already learned so much since finding GardenWeb, and I think my plants will live much longer, healthier lives as a result! Anyway, I bought a common lilac about three weeks ago at Sears. I think I made the first mistake by bringing it indoors when the weather got cold -- it had green buds when I first bought it, but has since shot off all kinds of bushy green growth and has been inside about a week & a half now. (I've since learned that lilacs NEED cold to bloom and it probably should have been left outside to keep it's growth in check with the weather we're having.)

Anyway, I have read a bit here on repotting vs. potting up. I have gleaned that repotting involves cleaning/pruning the roots and potting up is mostly just moving to a larger container. (Of course, you all explain it better, but that's the gist as I understand it, right?) I think that earlier Al stated (or I inferred?) that a plant with this much new growth shouldn't be repotted because it's now actively growing and not dormant, and wouldn't be happy with a lot of manipulation/pruning of the roots.

However, this lilac is quite root bound. In the picture below, that is a 2 foot ruler for scale. I think this pot is a 1.7 gallon pot. Can anyone suggest what size pot this should go into -- I have several option including 5 & 10 gallon -- or would I need bigger? I think I understand that it should be a suitable container to last until next spring when it might need a repot (vs. potting up)?

Should I do anything at all to the roots when I pot it up NOW into a larger container? I think my potting mix downstairs is EKO brand without added fertilizer, and I already saw Al's recommendation on fertilizer for lilac in an earlier post.

Finally, after this next (little) snowstorm we're getting right now, I plan to try getting this lilac back outside onto my balcony, but I guess I will have to harden it off by moving it out for gradually longer periods of time. I wonder, should I have any expectation that this will have any blooms this year?

Thanks again for any advice you can potentially offer!

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Comments (6)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I would make several deep, vertical cuts with a razor knife from top to bottom of the root mass, and a deep 'X' on the bottom of the root mass, and then pot up. While it is out of the pot, I would remove the small sprouts coming up.

In late summer, reduce the number of long stems to 6 that are nicely spaced by removing the largest (fattest) stems and reduce the very small sprouts to 3, and leave 6 long stems. The idea is to get into a regular rhythm of rejuvenation pruning. Every year you remove 1/3 of the oldest growth & allow the next year''s growth to grow and take it's place. If you get into a three year cycle, all the wood on the plant remains quite juvenile and it retains the vigor of juvenile material.

You can do a search using the words maintenance rejuvenation pruning, and you'll get pictures & more to read.

Al
sister_k
Original Author
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thank you Al. One small clarification if you get a chance -- when I make the cuts, should I attempt to untangle the roots at all, or just leave them be when I place into a new pot and they will sort themselves out? Thanks!
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Height control is most efficiently accomplished by pruning a foot or so lower than the maximum height desired. This is best done immediately following flowering. At this time, you should remove all but 2 or 3 basal suckers which will be allowed to replace the stems you'll be removing in your yearly maintenance pruning, which we'll get to in a moment. Prune the roots/repot in early spring before bud movement. Now we arrive at maintenance pruning, which is necessary for continued healthy lilacs that will continue to grow with good vitality. In a container, your plant should be limited to around 6 stems. This mid-winter, remove the largest stems and basal suckers so that only 6 young and vigorous stems plus the 2-3 basal suckers you left remain. Stems should be attractively oriented to each other. Next year, the suckers will have grown and you should remove the 2 largest stems again. This puts you on a 3 year rotation of replacing mature wood, keeping the plant juvenile (ontogenetically, not chronologically) and vigorous. Remove all small twiggy growth annually. Damaged or diseased wood should be removed as soon as it is noticed. Deadheading or removing spent flower heads may marginally increase the number of flowers the following season, but the practice is actually more nearly a cosmetic measure than a necessity. A healthy lilac will flower in most years whether deadheading is done or not. Always use a fast draining soil (I suspect yours is in a water retentive mix by the appearance of the plant), keep it a little on the dry side, and stay clear of high N fertilizers. Something in the way of a 1-1-2 ratio fertilizer would be best in containers. A soil test would determine what's appropriate in the ground, but generally a 1-2-1 or 1-2-2 ratio is recommended. I do think your plant would benefit from potting up now (as opposed to repotting - lots of suckers all around the perimeter of the soil mass, it appears) and from following the care guidelines I suggested, beginning this winter. Take care. Al
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What JaG said is good advice. The Tomatoes will take the container over. If possible (seperated enough where roots aren't inermingled), remove everything but the 2 mater plants. One way or another, remove the cinnamon basil & parsley immediately & transplant to their own containers (10-12 inch). The Basil will get big. The Bell Pepper plant under the maters, if it can not be safely removed and is far enogh away from the two tomatoes to grow 2 ft or so, should be fine. I'd start it a training program, if that's the case (can't be removed w/o hurting something) where you can start some thin bamboo stakes to make it grow a certain way (away from tomato plants). Maybe 2-3 stakes...2 across each other meeting at the main stem to put sufficient force on it to make it grow away (but not push it too much) & one (or two) later on to help with support. Sorry...went off to gardening idea land there for a minute. =) Raybo has some great ideas, so post pictures of yours on Tomatoes & see what he says. The Basil & Parsely would be fine in your 3 gallon containers. "I also planted 4 bush bean plants in a rather large (24 inch diameter) container, 3 of them seem to be doing well, they are still quite small, though." They should all 4 be fine, but may need vertical support soon. Hope this helps. Peace - Steve
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We wanted a lilac that's not common here; I think it was called Sweetheart. It's a pink Syringa vulgaris with a particularly lovely scent. We got it from a Canadian mail order nursery, and the only size they happened to have that year was very small, a 4" pot, I think. We kept it potted for several years, increasing the pot size as needed. As I recall, it did begin blooming while it was still potted. We eventually planted it in the ground, where it got bigger and better every year. So I see no reason your lilac wouldn't bloom in its pot. You should expect it to take about 3 years, perhaps a year longer. This is because a lilac that size is still very young. Hang in there; it's worth the wait! In the meantime, maybe you could plant low-growing annuals around the edges of the pot. Best of luck with it, Jennifer
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Not this year (untangle roots). Save that fun for next year. ;o)

Al
cebury
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Lurking -- great info I had the same questions.
sister_k
Original Author
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thanks so much -- got it potted up as you suggested, wish me luck!
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Of course - we ALL wish you luck!!

Al

Another Lilac in Container Question

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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

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Another Lilac in Container Question

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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

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