Andersons - I think it's important to understand that you can't duplicate a riparian (streamside) environment in a container. The link to Exotic Rainforest keeps popping up, but I think you'll find that Steve Lucas and I were pretty much exactly on the same page. Whenever it came to discussions about soils, you'll find Steve's offerings peppered with comments like these: "In a variety of links on this site Al offers very good porous soil mixes that can encourage an aroid to live a long time and grow to a larger size as well as remain healthy. The correct mix and proper watering are far more important than the size of the pot ........ Al, can I suggest you post a link to some of your articles on soil? Steve Corresponding Secretary, The International Aroid Society" "Again, I have to say I fully agree with Al's writings. Pot size is not nearly as important as soil mixtures and proper water (along with adequate light) are the most important factors to successful growth. Like many things in house plant growth, pot size is not well understood nor well explained to many growers." "I have spent a great deal of time studying this subject just as Al has, especially with botanists such as Dr. Tom Croat at the Missouri Botanical Garden and many others. I am also well aware that many people on this and other forums prefer that discussions not be based on science since this is a place where the average grower asks questions. I cannot help but believe many of those people want really good answers to their questions so again my thanks to Al." "Whatever anyone chooses to do is their business. Any grower is entitled to do anything they choose to do but if my email is any indication there are tons of folks out there that want to know how to grow plants as they grow in nature. We receive about 1/2 million hits to our website every year from all over the world and most of them are seeking scientific answers just as Al provides." "I just don't know how to explain things without explaining enough so a grower understands both the concept and the background provided by science. You can find some very good discussions on this forum about soil so if this is useless, please try to find a few of them now, mostly written by Al Tapla." "Just a word of thanks for the information [Al]. I have agreed fully with Al's information for many years ..... Thanks again! Steve Lucas www.ExoticRainforest.com" "Al, that is one of the finest growing statements I have ever read! I try to explain this all the time but you have made the statement concisely and quite clearly! Where do people come up with the idea plants "like" to be in such conditions? Thanks! Steve" There are many more .... and I used to email back & forth with Steve from time to time when he had questions or comments about soils. I wish he was still around so he could have offered input on some of the recent soil threads. Steve was always well thought of, and I always appreciated his support. Al

Hello All - I have in the past root pruned fig trees that were in ~ 11 gallon plastic pots in miracle grow + peat moss + perlite. When I did the root pruning it was a bit past due but the plants came out fine. I had read about a couple of methods of root pruning - 1) cut ~ 1/4 inch off the bottom and make a 1inch cut in 4 positions from the top to bottom i.e. cut at north, south, east, and west positions 2) remove all the dirt and then trim the roots removing roots that seem to be growing upwards or in a circular path around the base of the tree - removing I believe only about 1/3 of the overall root mass. When I did the root pruning in the past I did method number 2 - removing all the dirt -- I have a bonsai root pick tool and once all potting mix is removed I sprayed the root mass with a bit of water from a hose to make sure all the potting mix was removed. I also lightly misted the root mass with a spray bottle of water while removing the mix and cutting the roots. As I said before this method #2 worked well for me with the fig trees. Questions: 1. It seems to me that although method 2 is much more work --- especially when I have done it I was a bit past due and the root mass was really overgrown -- i.e. roots growing up into the center of the root system --- that it is a better method because more of the root system is addressed and the cut off roots totally removed. However, am I wrong? Are both methods above equally efficient for producing strong new growth in a (fig) tree? Question #2: I would like to soon put a tree in ~ 11 gallon or larger pot (15 or 20 gallon) containing gritty mix. I recall seeing a picture of a bonsai tree Al Tapla had in gritty mix that I believe he had just root pruned or was getting ready to root prune. It seemed like it had a good amount of the gritty mix attached to the root system. I am just thinking forward to the time when I would have to root prune a fig that is in such a pot of gritty mix. Obviously, the gritty mix is very heavy - I will use a two wheeler to move the pot around. Should I expect a significant amount of the gritty mix to stick to the root system when I try to remove the plant from the pot? The entire potting mix mass containing miracle grow with a small amount of peat moss and perlite mixed in is removed from the container when I root pruned before. I am just worried that if a lot of the gritty mix adheres or is not easily removed so that it can fall back into the pot then it will be far too hard to root prune a plant of this size that is in gritty mix because of the weight of the mix - i.e. I will not be able to lift the tree out of the pot if a significant amount of the gritty mix is attached to the root system due to the weight of the gritty mix. I currently have a number of other plants in gritty mix in much smaller pots -- I have not yet had the need to root prune any of those so I don't have any direct experience root pruning something that has been growing in the gritty mix. Any thoughts? Thanks, Brian

Tapla & others i understand both sides of the debate for my PL. I repotted the PL in 5:1:1 (used 5 Reptibark, 1 Sp peat, & 1+Med perlite (prob 1.25) & trimmed off the brown & left many leaves on. It looked droopy the next day & figured it would have some transplant shock. I had to go out of town for work, but had my watering help in order. She texted me a pic of the wood stick so I could tell her when it was ready to water. She watered it once when I was gone for 9 days. My help however, didn't tell me that the whole plant collapsed! (Arguing I couldn't do anything for the plant out of town). moving on, Mother Nature decided the next step. Last night when I got home, I cut all the leaves back. The mix is dry on top but moist a bit down-- maybe a bit too moist, but not wet, not soggy for sure. This mix is better than it was in before, but this PL never wilted between waterings before. When I felt down, I pulled up one of the small loose & single shoot & the roots were brown & didn't Li like it was the same PL I left 9 days ago! Should I dig it up to evaluate the other roots? I can't believe the roots would have started to rot so fast, but im not sure what to do. I used distilled water. And I planned on starting to fertilize with 9-3-6 when I came home. Your last comment indicated to make sure the "Roots only " plant wasn't too moist & just damp. Would putting the PL near my grow light be beneficial? I do think the PL needed more light than it received before- it had enough to survive, but not thrive. My husband has a light meter... What FC/lux would be best at this point? When I repotted my big PL (pics shown), I replanted the other 2 I had. The medium PL took a hit to the older leaves (which I've now removed) but small newer ones ok & plant still green. The smallest PL is still green & doing ok I think. I know things don't happen fast with plants, but I want to make sure I'm giving the best environment it needs. Your help is always appreciated as I learn! Thanks! ~Betina

I did the same thing last fall with a big sprawling and very sad looking schefflera that had lost most of its leaves, and found the same thing--virtually no fine roots, just thick and mostly woody encircling roots. I did prune almost all the thick roots but left one woody one alone to hold the plant up while I filled the pit with 5:1:1, shaking and tapping the pot to make sure the mix filled in all the books and crannies. Be aware that the plant will sulk longer than if you repotted in the spring, but it will grow a few new leaves in the winter and really liven up in late spring and summer with longer days and more light. A south or southwest facing window will help, and I recommend adding supplemental light in the winter, even if it's just a few 100W bright white (5000-6500k) CFL or LED bulbs in regular fixtures close to the leaves. All my plants, including the repotted scheff, went from practically dormant to getting new leaves after I added the light in late fall.