I'd chop 'em all off just above the crown and keep the soil damp, but not wet. WHILE you repot, it's important to keep the roots constantly wet. That means you need to be dipping them in a tub of water at least every minute, or removing the old soil with water pressure. The all-important fine roots dry out and die quickly unless you stay on top of keeping them wet. AFTER the repot, it's important that you keep the soil moist where it's occupied by the roots, That might mean watering every day until the roots start to colonize the deeper part of the pot. Other than that, you'll need to get a feel for how many fine roots you must leave to support the water needs of the top of the plant. I regularly remove up to 90% of a plant's roots during a repot and I almost never ever lose a plant unless it blows out or an animal helps it out of the pot. Al

I have grown 3 Rodgersia pinnata plants in my garden for the last 7 years without plastic or water crystals in a mostly shady spot. I just added copious layers of compost and organic matter to the planting site, and I mulch well to conserve moisture. Some supplemental watering is needed if it has been dry to prevent leaf burning. I agree with many of the posters here. First off, you have a new planting that is not established. The water requirements are different, it needs more water now than after it is an established mature plant. That being said, the water holding crystals may help reduce your initial need to water every other day. The black plastic lined TRENCH that you plant the plant in will help to keep the overall soil moisture level higher... you are making a bog like area. Be sure to make it large enough so you don't constrain the root system, put slits in the bottom and sides to allow for slow drainage, and if it is large enough, winter freezing won't be a problem. A mature planting of Rodgersia is very impressive in the garden. They are great plants.

Hi Robin!!! I'm still getting notifications on the threads that I post to. You can adjust your setting by going to " your Houzz" then ' edit profile' then hit ' advanced settings' that should help fix what you need as far as notifications. If you look at the bottom of this thread where you would comment, you will see in green letters " switch off notifications about new threads". If its already off you can click it back on. Always nice to see you!!! One of my Plumeria trees is blooming inside right now. It's supposed to be a dark pink, but its yellow. Go figure!! ;-) I agree about Al reposting if they can't get it fixed. I am sure he has it saved on his computer. ( I hope so) I just worry about all of the other threads, fertilizer, intro for beginners etc. so much information that needs to be fixed for the new people. We need this great information for us to share as well as for the new people searching for the great threads. Happy Valentine's Day, Robin , Al and everyone!! Laura

I can't tell about the roots -- the Sans plants are so dense I really can't see much soil surface, but I don't see roots in the parts I can see (I didn't dig down though). It seems to have regular Miracle-Gro style potting soil mixed with small bits of pine bark. The plant doesn't seem to be suffering otherwise, but I don't have the experience with this plant to notice more subtle signs. It remains green, upright, and with no consistent dead spots. The top layer of soil is dry, but not dried out. The bottom layer (when I feel it through the drain holes) feels like it could have been watered a day ago. I could get a photo tomorrow. I'd prefer to wait until spring to repot because I haven't been able to gather the ingredients for gritty mix yet, but I wouldn't want to lose the plant before I get a chance. Thanks for your help!