How to deal with dry rootballs in nursery pots?

[cheap_walmart_art]

I have several project trees either still in nursery pots and potting soil, or acquired this year like that. Im noticing that several of them are dried out in the middle, and mucky on the surface and sides. Some are obviously dry in the middle but growing algae around the drain holes.

Obviously the plan is to repot these into better soil in the springtime. In the meantime, this late in the year, what methods do you guys employ to get better drainage and aeration to the rootballs?

Is this a situation where Id drive a chopstick or a punch into the center of the rootmass? Soak the entire pot? Cross my fingers and just wait and repot in spring?

Some examples:

 

[0soyoung]

In this situation, I repot them. Unless the nursery trees are p. thunbergii (tree or roots) or thuja, I bare root them - the two exceptions I bare root. You don't want to do that, so drive a chop stick a piece of rebar or something else long and thin into the hard-dry interior of the balls. Pour some water into the holes and let it soak in, then do more until it drains. In the end poke your chop stick into the softened core and wiggle it around gently so that the soil density seems to even out - that should do it until spring.

Is the green muck just moss that 'dissolved' because of the high nitrogen fert you gave it? Regardless, just scrape it off the surface with your root hook. Organic fert users have to do this periodically, because the solids in the poo gum up the top of the substrate. If this is what you are doing, then you'll just need to remove the top of the substrate and replace it, in situ - no repotting necessary.

 

[cheap_walmart_art]

In this situation, I repot them. Unless the nursery trees are p. thunbergii (tree or roots) or thuja, I bare root them - the two exceptions I bare root. You don't want to do that, so drive a chop stick a piece of rebar or something else long and thin into the hard-dry interior of the balls. Pour some water into the holes and let it soak in, then do more until it drains. In the end poke your chop stick into the softened core and wiggle it around gently so that the soil density seems to even out - that should do it until spring.

Is the green muck just moss that 'dissolved' because of the high nitrogen fert you gave it? Regardless, just scrape it off the surface with your root hook. Organic fert users have to do this periodically, because the solids in the poo gum up the top of the substrate. If this is what you are doing, then you'll just need to remove the top of the substrate and replace it, in situ - no repotting necessary.

Thanks for the advice. The ferts i use are 9:1 cottonseed meal and kelp powder. I'll follow your instructions and leave them to repot in the spring.

 

[Starfox]

This one is getting the chop tomorrow. I'll saw off no more than the bottom third and hit it with a jet blast to try and loosen things up(which will be mainly futile) then back in the same or slightly larger pot filled with bonsai soil. If you can penetrate the middle then do that too. Give it a good soak.



This is for broadleaf evergreens however and cold temperatures are a bit away for me.
It's going to take a number of repots over the next few years to sort this mess out so a little reduction each year and getting more bonsai soil in each time seems to be working for me.

I have no confidence mine would make it through the winter as is an also know there is a good chance of losing it if I went in hard.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

You can also drill holes in the root ball from the top to improve drainage if repotting now is not advisable. See Peter Chan’s recent YouTube video on the subject.

 

[BuckeyeOne]

@Starfox
Nice socks!!

 

[sorce]

drill holes in the root ball

You ever drill through cloth?

Same thing happens to roots.

Drilling is dangerous!

Sorce

 

[Palmer67]

I have several project trees either still in nursery pots and potting soil, or acquired this year like that. Im noticing that several of them are dried out in the middle, and mucky on the surface and sides. Some are obviously dry in the middle but growing algae around the drain holes.

Obviously the plan is to repot these into better soil in the springtime. In the meantime, this late in the year, what methods do you guys employ to get better drainage and aeration to the rootballs?

Is this a situation where Id drive a chopstick or a punch into the center of the rootmass? Soak the entire pot? Cross my fingers and just wait and repot in spring?

Some examples:
View attachment 261344View attachment 261346View attachment 261347

I would repot and get them out of the dirt, especially before the winter. I recently did a bunch. Clean and spray the dirt out with a hose. Use a stick to hold em up if you have to. In the Pacific Northwest colanders are my friend. These pictured on the ground are sitting in 1/4" material; 1 part pumice and non-polished aquarium gravel (granite), then 2 parts pine bark. I paid too much for the bark on Amazon, but you can't beat the quality. Bonsai Jack brand. The trees on the tables are in pre-bagged bonsai soil, mostly lava, akadama and clay of some kind I think. About half the trees on the table are tropical I purchased online, and they'll be coming indoors soon. Good luck

 

[Mike Corazzi]

You ever drill through cloth?

Same thing happens to roots.

Drilling is dangerous!

Sorce

You can walk up to it with a pistol and say, "Okay, podner.... I'm a-gonna drill ya."
I once broke up hardpan in the yard with a 30-06 and armor piercing ammo. Worked great. Went down 3-4 feet and broke it up nicely.
I waited til the fourth of July to cover the sound.

 

[leatherback]

I think people are way to obsessed with repotting. Thw trees are obviously growin in whatever muck there is in. Let them be. Clean out in spring. It will be ok as long as they do not sit in hot sun or pouring rain for days on end.

 

[Mike Hennigan]

You can set them in a few inches of water for short periods of time, or longer periods of time. At the nursery I work at we stick really rootbound stuff in wet boxes so they’re basically just sitting in water all the time.

 

[Shibui]

I just soak pots like these once or twice a week. Sit them in a bucket of water for 10 minutes or more to allow the water to penetrate into the centre. That soak, along with better watering, will keep them going until you can safely repot.

Better watering will also help. Just watering each pot until water runs out the bottom is not watering effectively. Dry mix and/or root bound actually repels water so the water does not penetrate far, it just runs round the edges and out the drain holes. A second watering will help. The first will soak in a short way. Watering again a few minutes later lets the water soak into the damp part and then further to the centre. I have heard that Japanese technique is to water each tree 3 times. That would make sure the water is effectively soaking right to the centre of the pot.
To effectively water my potted trees I go round once and give everything a good soak then water each tree a second time to allow the water to soak in properly. In hot weather I do that morning and evening to keep up with the need for water. If any trees are still wilting they either get a weekly soak or get a shallow tray of water to sit in.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

You ever drill through cloth?

Same thing happens to roots.

Drilling is dangerous!

Sorce

Actually this is a fairly well known technique. Peter Chan has been teaching it for decades and I found an article in Intl Bonsai (1995 no. 3) describing its use with the fivrous root balls of hinokis. Don’t knock what you haven’t tried! I’ll go with Peter Chan’s advice over yours any day.

 

[sorce]

Actually this is a fairly well known technique. Peter Chan has been teaching it for decades and I found an article in Intl Bonsai (1995 no. 3) describing its use with the fivrous root balls of hinokis. Don’t knock what you haven’t tried! I’ll go with Peter Chan’s advice over yours any day.

Ok Follower of Adair and the shallow thought community.

I'd listen to Bill V over Peter Chan (poster boy for the "doing year 1 bonsai for forty years" campaign) any day, but I doubt he'd use the technique 20 years later.

Even if he recommended it too, it would still be stupid.

With a thousand less damaging ways to accomplish the same thing.........

I guess this is just a lames way of living on the edge!

Keep at it!

Sorce

 

[Saddler]

You ever drill through cloth?

Same thing happens to roots.

Drilling is dangerous!

Sorce

Have you ever drilled through cloth properly? I can get as clean a hole as wood and it’s why drilling through roots works.

 

[sorce]

Have you ever drilled through cloth properly? I can get as clean a hole as wood and it’s why drilling through roots works.

What is drilling through cloth properly?

Sorce

 

[BunjaeKorea]

Ok Follower of Adair and the shallow thought community.

I'd listen to Bill V over Peter Chan (poster boy for the "doing year 1 bonsai for forty years" campaign) any day, but I doubt he'd use the technique 20 years later.

Even if he recommended it too, it would still be stupid.

With a thousand less damaging ways to accomplish the same thing.........

I guess this is just a lames way of living on the edge!

Keep at it!

Sorce

I have seen the drill thing.....and some injuries that result..... although with enough skill..........
I'm gonna sit on the sidelines for this one.
A metal or sturdy wooden chopstick would do it. Repotting this late is probably not wise either.

 

[Saddler]

Not making a mess out of the cloth and leaving a clean hole.

 

[BunjaeKorea]

What is drilling through cloth properly?

Sorce

Well you get an Ak47 and ,,,,,

 

[sorce]

Not making a mess out of the cloth and leaving a clean hole.

For what purpose have you done this? What bit?
What cloth?

I worked next to a speaker cabinet cloth guy , this is the only application I can think of.

Of course, since this matters, maybe someone cares to share the entirety of the process.

No, let's argue, that's helpful.

Sorce