On 04/10/2014 13:16, Timothy Murphy wrote:
stuart noble wrote:

A lot of shrubs are doomed from the start if the root system isn't
right. I always soak them overnight and tease the roots but, if the root
ball is too dense, they will always be rather feeble specimens.

I always soak new shrubs overnight, but as a complete amateur
I usually worry that if I tease out the roots
this is likely to do more harm than good.
Any advice on the best way to do this?



There isn't one answer that suits all shrubs or trees. Most seem to
benefit from having their roots teased out, but there are exceptions.
When you get your new plant home, do some research (unless you've
already asked at the gc/nursery): if your plant is one of those which
resents root disturbance, then soak it as usual, but plant it with as
little disturbance as possible.

--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay