SERIES 36 | Episode 17
A common gardening worry – especially when choosing plants – is pot plants becoming root bound.
But Millie explains that this is not a problem with every type of plant.
You can feel when a plant’s roots have really filled out a pot – the sides of the pot feel tight, with no ‘give’ when you squeeze it, and there will probably be lots of roots appearing at the base of the pot.
But with a plant such as a spreading perennial, you could cut through the root mass and create two plants without affecting its long-term health, so being pot bound isn’t an issue.
For tough, fast-growing plants such as lomandra, having a mass of roots in a pot isn’t a problem either – you can trim off the roots, open out the root ball, and it would soon recover and get growing again.
However, you DO need to consider root structure when buying or growing a tree. Once a plant has become pot-bound and the roots have started growing in circles, it can be hard to break that cycle, so the tree may fail to establish a solid root structure when planted out into the ground. This will cause stability issues as it grows, probably shorten its life, and add the risk of a falling tree to your garden.
A healthy plant will only have a few roots showing at the base of the pot, and when you squeeze the pot, it should be neither rock hard (full!) or very soft (under-developed). However, don’t take it home and leave it on the garden bench for months on end either – if you’re not ready to plant it out straight away, pot it up to give it room to grow until you are.
Featured Plants YARROWAchillea cv. *MAT-RUSHLomandra cv.WATTLEAcacia sp.
* Check before planting: this may be an environmental weed in your area
