The Rosemary Thread

[LittleDingus]

basically, i was not asking if i should, i was asking advice on how best to not listen to the rest of your advice, sorry

This is the crux of learning from other's ain't it

"I understand the issues of the past...now, how can I best avoid those to create all new issues!"

 

[leatherback]

Thoughts on when to spade trim?

Nope. I was thinking just when I see spring growth. And spade where I can. It is in an akward position..

 

[Pitoon]

Hello all
I've threatens to do this and I'm now following thru. There doesn't seem to be a lot of horticultural info here on growing rosemary as bonsai. I'd like to change that with this thread. I don't pretend to know much about their horticulture but I've kept a few for over twenty years. Most people think their touchy......maybe...I've only noticed that with major root reduction. You may have seen this one on other threads but here we go.
1. - full flower this fall mid-october.
2. - today...flowers going to seed.
3. - after pruning today removing seed heads and cutting back. The plant is allowed to grow out until next November as you see in pic 1. The only pruning done while growing is the occasional pinch for cooking.

This plant was never wired (although I have wired another extensively), only clip and grow, approx 21 years old. Started from a cutting and only slip potted into bigger pots. It has been repotted twice in its current container every 3 years. Repotting consisted of teasing out root mass, reducing feeder roots 1"(pot is 9"dia.), replacing soil, large roots are not reduced. I'm not really satisfied with it current pot.

I hope other growers will chime in with their experience and/or questions. I'll keep posting my other rosemary as we go.

These look fantastic! ...........however all I can see is cuttings on the table

 

[ABCarve]

Thoughts on when to spade trim? Are you planning on going all the way around in one shot get it over with? or doing it in two waves, (e.g. doing N/S/E/W trim one time and NE/SE/SW/NW in the next round?)

and thoughts on timing of top trim and root spading and eventually repotting. Things to make sure are done first or last?
Mine has a larger top, and I ponder how to balance letting it keep green to feed itself, while also wishing to take general load off the plant so its not trying to support (physically or nutrient wise) so much while i mess with its roots.



yeah i have re the entire thread twice and appreciate the good documenting you have done.
I'm well aware that my plans are not a good idea. However this plant will end up in the compost pile if it does not move and it is over grown and mismanaged already, so it gets to live a wild and crazy life and take risks.

basically, i was not asking if i should, i was asking advice on how best to not listen to the rest of your advice, sorry

Spring time. Get as much of the root ball as is reasonable and will still fit in the kargest pot you have. The deeper the better. How much can you pick up? Poke at it slowly with a chopstick to get as much of the garden soil picked away without cutting the large roots. Do you this as far as you dare!! I've never tried washing the soil away on a rosemary but it may be worth a try. At least you will be able to see what you are working with. I wouldn't try to bare root it though. Put it in good bonsai mix and dare it to live.

 

[SilverShoe99]

I don't mean to hijack the thread with a non-sequitur, but all three of these were one gallon Blue Tuscan Rosemary plants, bare-rooted and repotted into these mame pots back when I was still too bonsai-naive to know rosemary's reputation for resenting drastic root work.

It can be done!

 

[Rivka]

I don't mean to hijack the thread with a non-sequitur, but all three of these were one gallon Blue Tuscan Rosemary plants, bare-rooted and repotted into these mame pots back when I was still too bonsai-naive to know rosemary's reputation for resenting drastic root work.

It can be done!

‘Is That Possible?’​

​

‘I Never Ask That Question Until After We’ve Done It.’​

 

[Rivka]

Here is the overgrown pile of mine in question, It will be interesting to see what happens with it.

 

[ABCarve]

. I also believe that younger plants can take more insults.

@SilverShoe99

 

[ABCarve]

So this is for @Vin who wanted to see a root prune/repot. I remembered!!!! This was a rescued house plant from 2012 which had quite a bit of root rot from potting soil. It was put into bonsai soil 2013 and put in the slab pot 2016. It has been entirely container grown which is why I'm reasonably confident about messing with a root reduction/smaller pot.

 

[ABCarve]

The new pot averages a little over 8" while the slab is about 12" although there is a lot of overhang. The soil is also quite thin at the very edge.

 

[ABCarve]

Once out of the pot I can see most of the root structure is fibrous. The drain holes are clear from the large media used to keep roots from growing into them. As I start raking them out I want to try to find any large roots (over 1/16") so as not to damage them. The small fibrous one can be taken out. Checking the fit the large roots will be tucked back into the root ball. I want to remove enough of the fibrous roots so new soil can be put in.

 

[ABCarve]

The large media is Growstone to keep roots from packing drain holes. The tape on tie in wires are numbered so I know which pairs to yank on. The tie in wires go under large roots, as they have thin skin and are easily damaged.

 

[ABCarve]

Now that I look at it, I probably didn't have to mound it up so high........but there's always next time.

 

[Vin]

Now that I look at it, I probably didn't have to mound it up so high........but there's always next time.

You're awesome for doing this! I'm sure this will answer many Rosemary lovers questions about repotting the stubborn little jewels. Thanks! (This needs to go into the "Resources" section as well)

This weekend I just dug two of my ailing rosemary trees out of the ground after a 2 year recovery. One went back in the ground for another year of refinement and the other in a large cascade pot to see how it adapts. I'll post some photos of it if you like in a few weeks once it settles in.

 

[ABCarve]

You're awesome for doing this! I'm sure this will answer many Rosemary lovers questions about repotting the stubborn little jewels. Thanks! (This needs to go into the "Resources" section as well)

This weekend I just dug two of my ailing rosemary trees out of the ground after a 2 year recovery. One went back in the ground for another year of refinement and the other in a large cascade pot to see how it adapts. I'll post some photos of it if you like in a few weeks once it settles in.

One thing I failed to mention was that there was no sign of being root bound after 5 growing seasons. Once you got through an 1/8” of fibrous roots on the very bottom of the pot, there was very little growth. Drainage was very good. It could have been in there another 5 years. Good reason to find the right pot first and leave it alone.

 

[AlainK]

Congratulations : (I think) it's rather difficult to keep a potted rosmary so long, especially in Pa. which is far from its native range, and the design looks very nice.

 

[ABCarve]

Well....we had an incident with a wind storm. I'm not used to tall skinny plants in light narrow pots. I didn't have the old pot for it as I gave it away. Good thing I've been practicing my kintsugi. I gave it a trim job as well. I guess we'll see how getting your roots beat up twice fairs with this character.

 

[Carol 83]

Well....we had an incident with a wind storm. I'm not used to tall skinny plants in light narrow pots. I didn't have the old pot for it as I gave it away. Good thing I've been practicing my kintsugi. I gave it a trim job as well. I guess we'll see how getting your roots beat up twice fairs with this character.

View attachment 365037View attachment 365038

Looks cool. The tree and the repaired pot. Like they weathered the storm together.

 

[ABCarve]

Looks cool. The tree and the repaired pot. Like they weathered the storm together.

I think I like the pot better with the cracks. Go figure.

 

[LittleDingus]

Just to add to the knowledge base...

We've had an unusually wet year so far. My rosemary has been outside since about mid spring. It's alive...but it hasn't grown much this year yet. It's not helpful that my wife makes a mean rosemary chicken! Usually this one plant outgrows her usage of it...but not this year so far

It does look to be starting up now that we're getting some heat...and sun!

What it HAS done though, is form a lot of advantageous roots!





From a distance, they look fungal and create areas that bulge in ugly ways

They're basically everywhere now. I'm not sure if the plant will grow out of them over time if I can keep it drier or if they're basically burls now and will continue to grow until cut off.

We'll see, I guess...