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| My bonsai spent the warmer months outdoors. When I brought my bonsai plants indoors (they are 'indoor' bonsai), I noticed that the large old Serissa I have had grown many long roots out of the bottom drain holes into the soil. I cut them close to the pot with a scissors and brought the plant inside.
Is there anything further to do? This was the only plant that had grown roots out of the drain holes so I was wondering if this is a sign that it needs a larger pot. All the plants look great,robust and healthy. Thanks How786 |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| It would have been better to get the plant out of the pot carefully, preserving what you could of the dangly roots (possibly even cutting away the pot if it was plastic) and then potting into a large one for now until spring comes and you could more safely cut roots. At that time you could have looked at the rest of the rootball to see if in fact there were many roots circling the ball, and (again) put it directly into the larger pot til spring. That's the part that counted - how rootbound the rootball was/is, rather than cutting stragglers. However, as you've done that, you might as well slip the whole thing out of the pot carefully, see if it could use a larger pot, and slip it into one, just backfilling around the sides and nothing else. It's not time to be pruning roots wholesale. |
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| Thanks for the advice. I should have posted before doing anything. SIGH How786 |
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| I heard back from the man who sold me the bonsai. Here is what he said. I will definitely follow his advice. "I'm glad to hear that the trees look great! It's great to hear from you! You have an extremely healthy and vigorous plant You can definitely cut them back. Doing so keeps the drainage holes unclogged. It does not mean any harm to a healthy strong tree. |
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| How, The advice that your seller gave to you is both wise and non-alarmist. I'd do exactly as he says to the letter. He/she sounds like a great person to work with, a very experienced person! Ginny |
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| I was suggesting a 'slip-potting' which is not 'repotting' in the sense he means it - that does entail root work and should not be done now. What I suggested was a way to sustain your tree until spring (if it looked rootbound) by 'slipping' it as a whole from the pot (even to the extent of cutting away the old one) and directly into a new one, with added soil on the outside. It's done all the time with zero consequences for the tree, and done when necessary to deal with very rootbound situations - sometimes you have to use common sense rather than rules - if a tree is in danger due to a specific problem, more so than it would be if you just wait til the next season, you need to act (carefully). |
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