Bareroot repot?

Discussion in 'Maples' started by xman, Sep 1, 2006.

  1. xman

    xman Active Member

    Messages:
    128
    Likes Received:
    1
    Location:
    Plano TX USA
    Hi,

    I recently got a 10 gallon crimson queen that has been in that container and has not been repotted for 3 seasons (the grower verified this). I have all my maples in containers, and usually when I get a new tree I bareroot repot (wash all the old soil off) it before bud break. Doing this ensures that the soil mix is homogeneous, plus it gives me a chance to root prune any circling or girdling roots that may become a problem later. But so far all the trees I have repotted have been 3-5 gallon or smaller, but this tree is about 5-6 feet tall.
    I am not sure if I should bareroot repot this, or just loosen the outside 6-8 inches of the rootball, prune any circling roots and add the new soil (however, doing this, I may miss any girdling roots that are within the undisturbed root ball?
    Any suggestions appreciated.

    thanks,
    xman
     
  2. Rima

    Rima Active Member

    Messages:
    991
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Eastern Canada
    Your second idea is best (esp. if the existing soil is fast draining, gritty, sandy, etc. which maples need. It's not practical to bare root a tree that size that's already shown it's well established, but leave the job til Nov. if you can, or at least late Oct., when it's gone dormant.
     

Share This Page