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Are my plants healthy?
Look at the plants you take care of daily. Are the leaves the same color they once were? Are the branches responding to pinching and pruning like they did 5 years ago? If not it could be a sign that the root system has bogged down and is in need of revitalization. Do you inspect the roots when you repot? Let's move on then.
On inspection if you notice long stringy black roots that smell bad and are hollow, it is a clear case or rotted roots. This is a problem that needs to be corrected before any procedures on drastic root pruning can take place. This rot problem is usually caused by one of two issues. Alternatively, it may be a combination of the two, which has caused the problem. If this is the case, then a lot of experimentation will have to be done to come up with the correct solution. Water is the most prevalent problem with root rot. Soil that retains too much water is the second leading problem. So obviously, the solution would be to have a fast draining loose soil and the proper amount of water when needed. This is of course simplified, but this is the experimentation part. Soil mixes will have to played with to see what works best in a given location. Watering will need to be done regularly, but only as needed. With the proper soil, watering is done on a regular basis. One may find that a few hours difference in a day can make a large difference if there is a large variance in the temperatures. Ever wonder why farmers will remove an entire orchard and replace it with some new type of crop?
Now with the root rot issue solved we can move on to the roots. Roots behave no differently than a good branch system above the ground. Most people have no problem in doing semi-drastic pruning to the top of the tree. Hey, if I cut too much the tree will just put out new shoots and in a season or two we will have more branches again. Ahhh… but the roots will behave just the same way. Prune them back hard and the will just bud and grow more roots. What a novel concept. Just what we want to happen! Thinking about that farmer again, the farmer knows that to get good production the next season, top pruning has to be carried out in just the right time of year. That’s why Franklin made the Farmers Almanac; it had the precise dates to carry out pruning to insure maximum harvest for the next year. Of course, now we have computer models and blackberries to keep a running log of farming activities. This drastic top pruning spurs adventious buds to sprout and increase ramification. More branches, more fruit. Think of a tree as growing on a mirror at the soil line. The tree should be a reflection of itself above the ground as well as below. This reflection is maintained by the same aggressive pruning as done above the ground. Print Friendly Version Print Page Discuss this Article on bonsaiTALK |
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