skip to main content

Rescued Trees

13 years ago

I was with my dad today and went to visit one of his oldest and dearest friends today. After chatting a bit in the back yard he asked me if i still play with the little trees and if i would like a few trees he had behind his garage that her bought about 5 or 6 years earlier. The first is a Boulevard Cypress and i only know this due to the marker tag in the pot. Not sure if it is! The tree is so root bound I have no idea what the nebari looks like or even the bace of the trunk due to the extreme growth of the surface roots. What is the best way to clear the surface roots and get to the base of the tree with minimal damage or stress?

Thanks in advance,

Angelo

cypress front.jpg

Sort by:Oldest

Comment (1)

larke
13 years ago
What you need to do is called slip potting. It's the wrong time of year to repot in the sense of doing anything with the roots, or even changing the soil, but if you take the whole thing out of the pot, and get it in one a size larger (this is until next March when you will repot properly and do the roots, etc.) then fill in all around with new soil (gritty) so the roots at least have somewhere to go for now. Don't mess too much looking at the nebari until you can look at the rest of it properly - you don't want to tear up all the new growth on top until you know what the rest looks like - you might want those surface roots in the end.

Related Stories

PETS Houzz TV: Watch These Rescued Cats Make a House Their Playland

By Mitchell Parker

Spirals, catwalks, tunnels and platforms create a superhighway inside this home in Southern California

LIVING ROOMS Room of the Day: Rescuing a Beverly Hills Living Room

By Mary Jo Bowling

Fretwork panels, textured neutrals and artfully exotic touches turn an unexciting room into a feast for the eyes

HOUZZ TOURS My Houzz: Rescue Success for a Historical Rotterdam Home

By Holly Marder

A neglected three-story apartment becomes a strikingly modern family home with swinging hammocks and clever storage solutions

HOUZZ TOURS Houzz Tour: Creative Design Moves Rescue an Island Cottage

By Becky Harris

Facing down mold and nicotine, two industrious Canadian designers transform an uninhabitable wreck into an artful getaway

CHRISTMAS Real vs. Fake: How to Choose the Right Christmas Tree

Pitting flexibility and ease against cost and the environment can leave anyone flummoxed. This Christmas tree breakdown can help

HOLIDAYS 10 Ways Your Christmas Tree Can Live On After the Holidays

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Learn how to recycle your Christmas tree and reap benefits for the environment

CONTEMPORARY HOMES Houzz Tour: Strong, Modern Lines Stand Up to the Trees

By Mary Jo Bowling

Modernism takes kindly to the New York woods, with double-height ceilings for openness and a burbling creek for music

HOMES AROUND THE WORLD My Houzz: At Home With Nature Up in the Trees

This homeowner’s creative bungalow on the Australian coast has a bohemian air and a star-studded history

HOUZZ TOURS My Houzz: A 'Home of the Future' Finds Present Perfection

By Sarah Greenman

Rescued from the brink of destruction, a 1965 home gets a complete, thoughtful overhaul from a Dallas couple

EDIBLE GARDENS How to Grow Your Own European and Asian Pears

By Marianne Lipanovich

Try these trees for their good looks, delicious fruit and wide range of sizes — plus you can espalier them

Sponsored

More Discussions

Bonsai planters

3

Bonsai named Tommy

0