Too many exposed roots …

[cishepard]

I bought this variegated boxwood recently. It came like this, sitting high in the pot with all these fine roots exposed. I believe it has been like this for a few years at least, but I’m wondering if I should do something with it to help it overwinter in a helpful way. I usually put my boxwoods in my 8x12 unheated greenhouse.
Some ideas I had for this tree is to bury the pot into a bigger, deeper pot and top up with more soil or perhaps just up-pot it into the bigger pot (remove the blue pot). I could also bury the whole tree and pot into a raised bed inside the greenhouse.
If I did any of those things, will these roots recover, or grow new fine roots in the newly buried area?
When I bought it I intended to trim the rootball and repot into something smaller next Spring. Maybe leave it alone till then and just set it lower in the new, smaller pot?
Thanks in advance for any insights and ideas.

 

[Pixar]

Nice healthy tree . In Spring , I would look at re-potting with a trim to the root system and cut out some of the branches

 

[Dav4]

I'd re-pot, remove the offending crossing roots and make sure you plant it deeper than currently set... too many shallow roots are not covered by soil

 

[cishepard]

I'd re-pot, remove the offending crossing roots and make sure you plant it deeper than currently set... too many shallow roots are not covered by soil

You would repot it now?

 

[Dav4]

You would repot it now?

I'd wait until your re-pot season next year

 

[Yosemite Goat]

Find deeper pot

 

[cishepard]

I realize it needs a proper re-pot and to set lower in a pot and that would be in spring. My question is whether to do anything now to help this tree overwinter successfully.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

It’s a Boxwood and you are in Nanaimo on the water. Very similar to our climate, spotting a couple degrees…. I’d do the same with a Satsuki.

I’d absolutely slip pot it now in a larger pot. Then moss it up and get it ready for your normal winter routine.

Be sure to look at the media when you perform the slip pot. If is rootbound, think about repotting in spring

Then have a Nanaimo Bar and chill

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[Shibui]

By all means cover the roots to make it look better but I don't see any reason why this tree would overwinter different to any other tree.
Many of the fine roots above ground are already dead so winter cannot hurt those.
Exposed roots with the ends below soil will still be alive but exposed roots are really just an extension of the trunk - same material, same bark, same everything - so winter will do no more damage to those than to the exposed trunk.
When you bury previously roots they will usually develop new feeder roots. Some species do it quicker but all can do it eventually. In many cases if you bury part of the trunk the same thing will happen. Try planting a trident maple deep and see what happens.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

When you bury previously roots they will usually develop new feeder roots. Some species do it quicker but all can do it eventually. In many cases if you bury part of the trunk the same thing will happen. Try planting a trident maple deep and see what happens.

Yep. ….and this was one of the key points.

cheers
DSD sends