"Ophelia" wrote in message
...
Sacha wrote:
On 2009-08-28 17:57:34 +0100, "Spider" said:

Well, I said I'd report back, so here I am.

The strelitzia was huge with three large mature growths sprouting
from it. The many flower heads had been removed. I removed the
stems and some other dead woody growth. I soaked the plant in order
to get it out of its pot, but still needed help.

The exposed root mass was, as urglers promised, tangled beyond
belief. Around the base of the pot, the roots ceased to tangle with
each other and merely encircled the pot. Some were rotten (and
stank to heaven!) thanks to the heavy-handed watering of my half-
brother, and these I removed. That was the easy bit. I then used a
saw to cut away one of the mature growths but, before I had cut
through it, there was an ominous cracking noise and that section of
plant keeled over under its own weight and snapped off without any
roots :~(. Obviously, I wasn't going to be able to use the saw. My
father (whose plant it is) suggested reinforcements and a
different weapon. I engaged the help of RG and daddy's axe. I
bravely allowed RG to wield the axe, whilst I parted the remaining
two sections of plant. RG hacked (surprisingly accurately!) down
the middle of the plant for several axe blows. The crown of the
plant parted slightly. It took many more energetic blows before it
finally fell in two. I checked: I still had 8 fingers, 2 thumbs. At
this point, RG took a couple of photographs on his phone camera,
which I shall ask him to add to this thread.

Good grief. URG has its own version of Wilhemina Tell!! ;-)) Well
done, Spider, this sounds a helluva task.

Whereas I am totally stunned!!!

g It was a fair old job :~). Fortunately, it was performed in God's Own
County, so let's hope he's looking after the plant now.

Spider