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potbound alloxylon
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Posted by meryl2 Sydney/Blue Mts (My Page) on Sat, Feb 18, 06 at 22:53
I have had a Queensland tree waratah (alloxylon flammeum) in a succession of pots, starting out in a tree tube, for five years now. This was not intentional. I was raising it for a new garden I expected to have three years ago. Serious illnesses in the family have put this schedule way back and the tree is now in the largest size plastic pot and about 2.5 metres tall. It is clearly very rootbound and I think the only answer is to put it into the ground at the new garden, where it will have to take its chances with builders and machinery.
If it were an exotic, I would take to the rootball with a knife before putting it into the ground, so as to help new roots break out of the root mass. But because it is a native, I am fearful that doing this will kill the tree immediately.
How should I treat it? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: potbound alloxylon
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I think you should use that knife, Merryl. People do it sussfully with with natives, though I suspect it might be more chancy with a Proteaceae. It's the bigger roots you need to straighten, not the fine ones near the surface, which won't like being disturbed. It is taking a risk, but better than having a tree which seems OK, maybe for more than a year, maybe for four or five years even, then dies slowly or blows over in a wind. Alternatively, would you rather go out and buy a plant with a healthy root? Trees live a long time, so it's worth starting them right,
And, dare I mention it, you COULD throw away the potbound one. In the larger scheme of things, it's only a plant, not a baby!
Trish |
RE: potbound alloxylon
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| Eh, just cut all the wonky roots and cut the top half to match. Bonsai growers do this all the time and it encourages vigour and more even growth. The only family I've grown that resents this is the epacrids. It's also not a good idea to harm the tap root of eucalypts as they never really recover, but proteaceae generally don't mind. Make sure you sterilise your cutting tool - I use a spray bottle with neat metho. |
RE: potbound alloxylon
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- Posted by pos02 NSW Aust (My Page) on
Mon, Feb 20, 06 at 18:34
| If you're worried about the builders destroying it, I would put 4 large stakes around it, with some strapping or wire to secure them. If you don't do this, they will probably run over it. Most builders have absolutely no regard for plants, and will even pull stakes out if they can. |
RE: potbound alloxylon
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| Yep, builders are probably australia's worst environmental disaster. (Sadly, the australian economy appears to be mostly supported by exporting our soil and the building industry) |
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