songbird wrote:
David Hare-Scott wrote:
...
This is what I have always done and my trees in tubs are all doing
fine. If somebody can explain what the 'pot them up one size'
approach is supposed to do and _why_ it is better than all at once I
am all ears.

i only have rumor and speculation.
it's been ages since i've done potted trees
other than bonsai.

but speculate is what noodles can do:...

any time you repot the tree you can root
prune away dead stuff and reshape the root
system to increase root surface area, making
a more efficient use of the space than what
a tree might do otherwise. this should give
a deeper and more resistant to drought root
ball and perhaps a better anchor against wind
damage. if it falls over you want the whole
thing to go and not the tree being ripped off
the surface.

do any of these make sense to you?


songbird

It does make sense but making sense is not sufficient. It's a nice story,
it may even be true. I am not arguing but I could also write:

If you plant in a big tub the roots spread out making
a more efficient use of the space than what
a tree might do otherwise. this should give
a deeper and more resistant to drought root
ball and perhaps a better anchor against wind
damage. if it falls over you want the whole
thing to go and not the tree being ripped off
the surface.

How do we determine which story is right or if in fact it matters one way or
the other?

D