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Pot bound black chokeberry

7 years ago

I bought a very very pot bound autumn magic black chokeberry. For fear of girdling and ripped the heck out of the large swirling roots. The plant is leggy and 5 feet tall and very spindly. Many of the leaves turned yellow but the tips are staying green. Any advice on helping this plant make it. Or advice if you've experience with this plant and have an opinion whether they do well when stressed in this manner?

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lisanti07028

7 years ago

If it didn't go all droopy with that heat, it will be fine.

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Comments (6)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
7 years ago
based on the pic provided.. i have no clue how to advise ...

just weeks before the heat of summer.. is not a great time to do major root surgery .. you might just stick it in the ground... and do the deed in late fall ..

or HOLD IT OVER.. in the pot.. in full shade ... until fall ...

as to when that is ... no clue.. cuz i dont know where you are ...

ken
lisanti07028
7 years ago
Did you plant it or put it back in the pot? It's hard to tell from the post. In general, do NOT fertilize it, water it only when the soil is dry down an inch or so, and mulch it. Maybe give it some shade until this dreadful heat passes, which is supposed to be on Wednesday. Give us a picture, if you can, and a state, so we know if you are in a dry area or not.
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Like you said, it is still early. Do not worry about the steamed part, You would remember it if you had steamed your soil or stuff in the pots. That was a part of the study done on some fields way back down the road, but still, probably the best of it's kind. It is enlightening and very informative. Carolyn posted it first some years ago, and that section that I linked was just the part about tomatoes. Those that do square foot gardening and advocate three or four plants (or more) within a square foot may somehow get some corn, but should read about the roots on sweet corn. Bottom line, many people successfully grow veggies in containers, or very cramped up close together by additional feeding and watering, but it is not what nature intended for those roots in my opinion. But that is just my opinion and if you do not have much room, you are limited to what you do have. I will link the whole study below. Bill P. Here is a link that might be useful: Root Development of Vegetable Crops
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KeithJames
Original Author
7 years ago
Yes, well, it's already in the ground despite the very late in the Spring time to shock this plant. Yes, I'll not over water it. I'm in Allentown, PA, central eastern PA, 15 minutes from New Jersey. From what I'm reading, this is a hardy plant. I have the option of going to get a very new vigorous one but want to give this one a try because I like the shape of it. And as I mentioned in initial post, the tips of the branches are staying perky and green even in this heat which I take as a good sign. The die out right now does not look to be continuing or increasing.
lisanti07028
7 years ago
Hey, you plant when you have to plant; needs must when the devil drives. If the rest of the root system was strong, your chokeberry should be fine. (waves at you over the Delaware)
KeithJames
Original Author
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Yeah, I planted it a week before we had sudden summer heat. And the resulting sermons here were based on general prescriptions I already knew... I was looking for any encouragement from someone with direct experience in the hardiness of the chokeberry when put to this test. It does look to me like it will fare through this! The picture is BEFORE the high heat struck this week and it HAS lost some of it's leaves since then to the yellowing. I like this maltreated specimen's shape. The new ones at the local nursery are much more rounded and low stemmed. Waves back over the Delaware. I'm from Piscataway and recognize! I'm on the wrong side of the river now! LOL.

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