As a professional gardener I get asked a lot of gardening questions. Planting questions are right up there, and one of the most asked is “Do I tease out the roots, or do I not tease out the roots?”
My answer is always “it depends”. Not very helpful, I know, but it really does depend on what comes out of the pot, and also what plant you are planting.
If you’re planting an ornamental perennial plant that isn’t ‘pot bound’, then you don’t have to do anything to the roots, just place it gently into the hole and backfill with soil.
By ‘pot bound’ I mean a plant whose roots have filled up the pot, displacing the soil, and are growing around the bottom of the pot. We’ve all seen it.
If you’re planting a plant that has become ‘pot bound’ it’s often best to either tease out the roots, or make some cuts around the bottom. This will stimulate the plant to grow more roots which will head out of the hole to give the plant more stability and a better chance of getting nutrients.
Some plants, such as some Australian natives, don’t like their roots being disturbed. However, if you take one out of its pot and it is horribly pot bound, unlike the one pictured above which was only mildly pot bound (not visible in the picture), it would pay to gently tease the roots out, not to cut them.
So, what it all comes down to is, it depends completely on the circumstances whether we ‘tease or not tease’ when planting. Mostly though, it’s best to give the roots of a plant a little ‘tickle’ to loosen them up before planting. Giving them some encouragement and a bit of a pep talk helps as well. Always plant a plant with love and care, they’ll respond to that. Or not.
Til next time!
The Flowerpot Pen 