Extreme slow drainage to a nursery pot shrub...

9 years ago

I picked up a shrub from a nursery, watered it last night since I hadn't put it in the ground with a overnighter with our youth group and no time to plant it properly. It honestly didn't seem to drain at all. Surely it did...but I stood there a few minutes and it continued to stay at the water level I had added thinking it would drain.

So...I am curious...what the roots will look like when I plant it later. Thinking it must be root bound to the extreme. It looks healthy...just taking water slow.

If I have it root bound is just loosening it up enough...or should it be root trimmed a bit...and then loosened?

It is a Summersweeet Ruby Spice...for the back corner by our memory bench.

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Comments (9)

dbarron
9 years ago
Well, at least it loves moisture by nature :) They grow along streams and creeks here.
I have Ruby Spice just starting to bloom and absolutely adore the plant for it's bloom period/fragrance.

This is my first one...and is now 4th year in the ground. The oldest growth (original stems) are now kinda ugly and really need a trim job this spring, newer growth looks good.

When you unpot it to plant it, if the roots are spiralled in a death spiral, cut them a bit to prevent it from choking it's own crown, but otherwise just try to spread them out and make the best of it. It's really too hot to do serious surgery now :(
cadillactaste
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks...it was just starting to spiral. Not as bad as I had expected.
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cadillactaste
Original Author
9 years ago
Ugh...ANTS! the entire rootball has a colony of ants. I took a video of it to show the nursery if the thing does die. And also a mental note to not buy from there again. Not our normal nursery...husband thought to take me some place that would offer something other than what I had seen so far this year. It's over an hour away...to get to. So the husband said he would see how it fares. Letting the nursery know this is an issue.

Our neighbor suggested sevens dust for around the base...would ones agree?
mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
9 years ago
Ants and a continually wet rootball are mutually exclusive problems.

Personally, I would drown the little dears. Put the whole thing in a bucket of water for a while. End of problem
mikebotann
9 years ago
I drown them also. Usually it needs a good soaking before up potting or planting anyway.
Mike
cadillactaste
Original Author
9 years ago
Sadly it is planted already...so would the seven dust be the next step? Noticed the blooms are opening on one. You can see a bit of red showing through. So...I take that as a good sign. It looks healthy...so far.
cadillactaste
Original Author
9 years ago
You can see...it's thinking of showing me some color soon. (Ick...two insects were on the bloom...you can sort of see them. But, I am getting better. Left them alone.)

The leaves seem healthy as well...if the ants were to cause issues...I would imagine I will see signs of it with foliage changing...and becoming stressed.
sam_md
9 years ago
not clear to me what damage ants would do. I've never known of ants to damage container stock. Why the paranoia over ants? Sounds like a mountain out of an ant hill.
cadillactaste
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks Sam...never came across so many ants in a nursery pot...they seemed to be moving eggs or something about. So no worries...phew! Thanks...good to know nothing to worry about.

Extreme slow drainage to a nursery pot shrub...

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Extreme slow drainage to a nursery pot shrub...

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