I made a mistake by not checking the roots of my shimpaku
juniper this
winter. I checked it now, and it seems that it needed to be
repotted. I
would go as far to say it is rootbound, but it could be in a
matter of time.
The rootball is full of healthy, fiberous roots, but not much
soil seems to
be left for another whole year. Its too late to repot it, but i
was
wondering if it would be safe to cut off a small section of the
bottom, and
fill the remaining part of the container with soil, just so it
can last
spring, summer, and fall without going rootbound. Would doing
this hust the
tree, considering its been like summer for the past week? It
seems like
winter seems is over for sure. If i did cut some roots, and
added soil,
would it help the tree last another year without running into
the problems
with being root bound? Any suggestions are much appreciated.
Thanks, Colin
Horn San Francisco Bay Area, CA

Is it really too late to repot in the SF area?

Anyway, being rootbound isn't fatal. You can safely leave it in
its rootbound condition for several years, you just need to make
CERTAIN it gets enough water, and fertilize it by immersion.

Easiest way to take care of a late discovery of too many roots,
of course, if to plop it into a larger pot for a year until you
feel it is OK to repot.

HOWEVER, I can't believe that mid March is too late in your area.
It wouldn't be too late in MY area and I'm a heckuva lot warmer
than SF.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Only where
people have learned to appreciate and cherish the landscape and
its living cover will they treat it with the care and respect it
should have - Paul Bigelow Sears.

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