I think I should root prune/repot more often
I use the idiot-proof 511 mix in my pots. I had an Osmanthus which has been growing very vigrously. Too vigrously actually. I knew I had to repot it but was dodging the job. After all it is an osmanthus fragrans. Not a (grow like there is no tommorow) Hibuscus.
The writing was on the wall when the whole plant sort of started getting pushed out of the pot. And I decided to do it. Just do it. I tip the pot and signs are not good.
Sheer horror on removing the pot. And this guy has spent just two years in this pot !!!
I have read that osmanthus is a fincky plant and does not like its roots getting disturbed. And then this. I have to prune it and put it in a new pot.
I will keep the post very factual. And will not claim that I did a good job. I might have as well killed it with the messy root prune job.
You see problem with this Osmanthus is that their roots are not like Lemon. Lemon has thick roots and fibrous roots growing from there. Not this guy. Its roots are just dense. I found very few roots of any significant thickness.
Before you see the pictures of root pruning/carnage, please be advised that I have one more Osmanthus in another pot. :-)
I have read what AL had written on root pruning and accordingly bottom 1/3 went off. It was anyways too dense to be salvaged.
Rest was combing the roots out. Lot of root breakage. Cutting off any roots with kinks in their length.
If plants can curse I should be driving my car more carefully.
The whole root ball almost is now halved. At this point I stopped. I put the plant in the new container which is two size bigger. I did not put it back in the same old pot since this guy has a habit of tipping over and breaking up the surrounding plants. Then I put four bamboo sticks and tied it with strings on all four sides so that it does not sway a lot in wind.
I will update the thread to give people a closure on how it ended. No matter how bad or good the outcome is.
Comments (10)
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Just Started(Sydney)
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoI have failed you Master @tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a) :'-(
I did not have guts to go beyond that. The canopy is rather large.
This is after root pruning and repotting.
All I had. Yes that is an office scissor on the left. Maybe I should buy something better.Just Started(Sydney)
3 years agoJust Started(Sydney)
3 years agoMeyermike(Zone 6a Ma.)
3 years agoJust Started(Sydney)
3 years ago
tropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)
3 years ago
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)