Cutting the tap root of a small plum tree grown in a box
Planted a Victoria plum tree some time ago in a black plastic recycle box.
Its been growing really well. when i came to move it (i put it in the box because i knew i would move it) i found a long tap root (about a finger thick) had escaped from the box into the soil below. I cannot get this root out of the ground without breaking it. Would this result in serious damage to the little plum tree or would it recover from this? Thanks. |
Cutting the tap root of a small plum tree grown in a box
On Sat, 13 Aug 2016 13:38:28 +0100, john west wrote:
Planted a Victoria plum tree some time ago in a black plastic recycle box. Its been growing really well. when i came to move it (i put it in the box because i knew i would move it) i found a long tap root (about a finger thick) had escaped from the box into the soil below. I cannot get this root out of the ground without breaking it. Would this result in serious damage to the little plum tree or would it recover from this? Thanks. It might be more sensible to wait until winter if you can, when the tree is dormant. Do you just intend to move the box but keep the tree in it? Cheers Dave R -- Windows 8.1 on PCSpecialist box |
Cutting the tap root of a small plum tree grown in a box
john west wrote:
Planted a Victoria plum tree some time ago in a black plastic recycle box. Its been growing really well. when i came to move it (i put it in the box because i knew i would move it) i found a long tap root (about a finger thick) had escaped from the box into the soil below. I cannot get this root out of the ground without breaking it. Would this result in serious damage to the little plum tree or would it recover from this? Thanks. If it were mine, I'd cut the plastic box into pieces in situ and shake off as much of the soil, then carefully dig down to free the tap root saving as much as possible before re-planting. |
Cutting the tap root of a small plum tree grown in a box
On 13-Aug-16 3:05 PM, Phil L wrote:
john west wrote: Planted a Victoria plum tree some time ago in a black plastic recycle box. Its been growing really well. when i came to move it (i put it in the box because i knew i would move it) i found a long tap root (about a finger thick) had escaped from the box into the soil below. I cannot get this root out of the ground without breaking it. Would this result in serious damage to the little plum tree or would it recover from this? Thanks. If it were mine, I'd cut the plastic box into pieces in situ and shake off as much of the soil, then carefully dig down to free the tap root saving as much as possible before re-planting. thanks. i always believed roots were active in winter and foliage in the summer? i can try dig out the tap root in the soil (as it traveled sideways away from the box ). guess its either make or break with this tap root. |
Cutting the tap root of a small plum tree grown in a box
On Sat, 13 Aug 2016 15:09:53 +0100, john west wrote:
On 13-Aug-16 3:05 PM, Phil L wrote: john west wrote: Planted a Victoria plum tree some time ago in a black plastic recycle box. Its been growing really well. when i came to move it (i put it in the box because i knew i would move it) i found a long tap root (about a finger thick) had escaped from the box into the soil below. I cannot get this root out of the ground without breaking it. Would this result in serious damage to the little plum tree or would it recover from this? Thanks. If it were mine, I'd cut the plastic box into pieces in situ and shake off as much of the soil, then carefully dig down to free the tap root saving as much as possible before re-planting. thanks. i always believed roots were active in winter and foliage in the summer? i can try dig out the tap root in the soil (as it traveled sideways away from the box ). guess its either make or break with this tap root. Remember that when the foliage is active it needs water, which it gets from the roots. Treat this like moving any fruit tree; do it over winter when the tree is dormant. For example: https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=293 "The optimum time to move established trees or shrubs depends on their type; Deciduous plants: Move at any time during the dormant season from late October to mid-March". Messing about with the roots of a tree in full summer during a mini- heatwave is not likely to turn out well. If you have to move the container grown tree then cut the root and move the box and water more than usual - it will be relying on the tap root and may not have enough roots in the container to satisfy its' water needs especially in this weather. Cutting the tap root AND messing about with the remaining roots in the container at the same time is unlikely to end well. Cheers Dave R -- Windows 8.1 on PCSpecialist box |
Cutting the tap root of a small plum tree grown in a box
On 13/08/2016 15:09, john west wrote:
On 13-Aug-16 3:05 PM, Phil L wrote: john west wrote: Planted a Victoria plum tree some time ago in a black plastic recycle box. Its been growing really well. when i came to move it (i put it in the box because i knew i would move it) i found a long tap root (about a finger thick) had escaped from the box into the soil below. I cannot get this root out of the ground without breaking it. Would this result in serious damage to the little plum tree or would it recover from this? Thanks. If it were mine, I'd cut the plastic box into pieces in situ and shake off as much of the soil, then carefully dig down to free the tap root saving as much as possible before re-planting. thanks. i always believed roots were active in winter and foliage in the summer? i can try dig out the tap root in the soil (as it traveled sideways away from the box ). guess its either make or break with this tap root. Your main problem is not damaging the tree (although I would wait until its dormant) but any damage to the roots and that includes deliberate cutting will give masses of unwanted suckers, plums are prone to do that anyway so it may not make a huge difference long term! -- Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall www.roselandhouse.co.uk National collections of Clematis viticella & Lapageria rosea |
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