|
| Today I repotted blueberry that had been 8 yrs without repotting and a pluot that had 4 growing seasons in an organic mix.
This is the pluot that had grown enough roots to split the pot. Most of the roots were on the outer edge of the rootball.
The blueberry which yielded 15-18 lbs last year had roots much more evenly throughout the rootball.
There were no serious indications of issues with PWT although the blueberry did have fewer roots in the bottom than the top of the rootball. This is blueberry roots right above the bottom screen.
|
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| I should add that the mix I was using at the time was bagged premium potting mix. The kind that is mostly black peat, compost, and some sand. The soil still looked the same and could be resold if the roots were removed. The pots were still accepting water very well and right down thru the center not just the edges. I'd estimate that they accepted about 10% by volume each morning before drainage and it all soaked in after about 15 seconds. Yield last year was about 60 pluot and 15-18 lbs blueberry from ~12 gallons media. |
|
| Fruitnut, Can you post pics after you clean the root ball up and just before and then after you trim the root balls? Curious to see the difference as I have never trimmed a root ball. |
|
| joe Sorry I didn't take a picture of that step, in too big a hurry. But I just trimmed off about 2-3 inches on the sides and bottom and replanted in the same size pots. Wish now I hadn't done the blueberry because they were doing so well. Repotting is very hard work, hard on my back. In the future I'm sticking to 3 gal for berries and 5 gal for fruit trees. I buy rootstocks every winter and bud on my favorite varieties. This is much easier than repotting for an old boy like me. I've been able to get at least three crops on trees and more on berries without repotting. |
|
| I was thinking you would bare root them then repot. Cutting a bit from the sides and bottom is easier. |
|
- Posted by emgardener (My Page) on Tue, Nov 22, 11 at 20:47
| It does seem that organics work better in warmer, drier locations. I could never make organics work well in SWCs where the soil is always wet. But now in a drip and drain container organics are working great for me. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Container Gardening Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.