Bare rooting, Viburnumvalley?

15 years ago

Hope this post isn't too far off topic: Viburnumvalley, a couple of months ago you gave some great advice about "bare rooting" dormant pot bound plants, which I intend to follow. I have a few questions (the first of which seems so stupid but I've always been a little leery of bare root plants and have avoided them):

Do I gently shake the soil from the roots, followed by a gentle rinse?

Do I then soak the roots? If so, what keeps the plant from drowning?

If a pot bound plant is not dormant, should I wait until it is?

Any other comments or advice?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

ladyslppr
15 years ago
If I was going to bare root a pot-bound, dormant plant, I'd simply shake, pull, or otherwise untangle the roots. If I remove most of the soil in the process, that is fine because the plant is dormant (it is winter or close to winter), but if some soil stays attached to the roots that would be fine too. I wouldn't soak the roots, but they couldn't drown if I did, since they're dormant. I would then put the plant in the soil, trimming off any damaged roots, tamp thoroughly, and water to settle the soil. The goal, I think , would be to have the roots in native soil and untangled. If a little of the pot soil stays attached tothe roots, that is fine.
viburnumvalley
15 years ago
eshore21814:

Apparently you have a longer memory than this elephant, but I'll take you at your word. Here's answers along with the questions you've posed.

Do I gently shake the soil from the roots, followed by a gentle rinse?

You can shake, rattle, or roll your potbound plants, but I'd start out with a hose-end spray attachment to wash the potting soil off the plant's roots.

Do I then soak the roots? If so, what keeps the plant from drowning?

I'd soak the plant before washing the soil from the roots. That should ensure that your plant has full turgor prior to bare rooting and replanting. As stated above, if this plant is dormant you should have no issues with "drowning". You wouldn't even if in active growth, unless you were to leave it submerged for days (or longer).

If a pot bound plant is not dormant, should I wait until it is?

I would, especially if it is a choice/rare plant. If it is a plant you could "take or leave", or one you have oodles of, then experiment and try doing this on pavement in the middle of the hottest droughtiest August day you can come up with. Stories to tell your grandchildren some day...

"You know, sonny, one time way back in '08, I busted a Wollemi Pine out of a 25 gallon pot and bare rooted that sucker right on the asphalt driveway there. Must've been 106Âº in the shade, and I thought your grandmother was gonna have heart palpitations. Anyway, I'd seen to its imbibition ahead of time, and that rapscallion went on and grew like nobody's business."

"That tree provides the shade we're enjoying here today."

Any other comments or advice?

Prepare your planting site prior to bare rooting. Lots of finely granulated soil will make it easier for your bare root plant to be reintroduced to growing media.

And finally...

Document, document, document. Take digipics of what you do, for your own records and to inform others in the future. Good luck, and tell us how it goes/turns out.
Related Discussions
Roots near graft of bare root
Q
Comments (3)
Just plant it with graft union 2 or 3" above soil line and don't worry about drying out some small roots- no harm done.
...See More
Timing of Grape Rooted Cuttings vs Bare Root Vine?
Q
Comments (1)
It is a season behind.
...See More
To Bare-Root or Not to Bare-Root...
Q
Comments (11)
Dan, I don't think the authors are recommending doing away with container-grown stock. I think they are saying that bare-rooting, as part of the planting process and done by people trained in doing it, has advantages (and disadvantages). They are going through the process to correct root problems caused by traditional growing methods, not to prevent the problems from occurring to start with. Also, I think most of the research and debate is concentrated on larger stock (mostly B&B), rather than smaller, containerized stock. The guy that brought this article back to my attention claims to be a totally supporter of bare-rooting smaller stuff, but has concerns about calls for doing it across the board for different species, to larger B&B material, and by the nursery industry with untrained labor.
...See More
How to plant own root ,bare root rose ?
Q
Comments (5)
What I do is soak overnight in plain water. Then as I am finishing digging the hole and preparing my amendmnts, I soak with SuperThrive for 15-20 minutes, at the rate of 1.5 teaspoon per 5 gallons of water, which is recommended specifically for this purpose. Both of these soaks are up to the top of roots or bottom of cane material. One year I soaked overnight, then planted. The next year I soaked roughly 48 hours in a dark garage because the day after delivery was hot and sunny, so I wanted to delay planting to the following day which was cool and cloudy. This year I soaked roughly 48 hours (again in dark garage) because I had appointments the day after delivery. If I remember correctly, the first time I ordered bare-root, I posted questions similar to yours, and someone posted that he or she had soaked in water for almost a week due to scheduling issues. Do you use a soil mound to "sweat" the canes for a week or so after planting? Mine are in their soil mounds and starting to put out little leaves right now. [I have never bought bare-root grafted, so can't directly answer your question as to how own-root versus grafted compare or contrast.]
...See More
eshore21814
Original Author
15 years ago
Viburnumvalley, you are funny; thank you for the advice AND the laugh.

Your original advice re. bare rooting was in response to my post about a newly planted (and pot bound) viburnum nudum whose leaves were turning black. I did as you suggested, watering religiously near the root zone, and am pleased to report that she's doing fine. Thank you!

The viburnum came from a fundraiser plant sale held twice yearly by our local arboretum. The next sale is in a few weeks, hence this post regarding pot bound plants. Members of the arboretum get first pick (and a 10% discount!) and as I am now a member I hope to be in a better position to be picky about which shrubs I adopt. But selection can sometimes be limited so I want to be prepared for special needs. And I doubt anything at the sale will be dormant yet.

Since my budget is limited every plant I purchase is a "choice" plant (note to self: learn to propagate!). Do I understand correctly that I should simply water the potted pot bound shrub and keep it alive until it goes into dormancy? Should it be repotted in a larger pot first? If so, how would that be different than planting in the ground?

Thanks for your patience and good humor, Viburnumvalley.
viburnumvalley
15 years ago
I'm glad the advice has helped (especially with a viburnum) and provided some levity. You are welcome.

If the arboretum you support is producing less-than-quality plants, give 'em a little grief. They should be setting a higher standard, and providing the best quality to purchasers since their job is to encourage appreciation for plants among the citizenry. That won't happen if poor quality plants die for their customers.

Learning a little about propagation will go a long way.

I'd just keep your purchase alive in its pot until you are ready to plant it. No need to pot up for a short time.