Root Bound Plants

How do I know if my plant is root bound?

You only need to expose a few inches of the root ball to know whether the plant is root bound. If you see a dense mass of white, encircling roots around the edge of the soil, this is a good sign your plant is root bound.

Yellowing leaves on the plant can also be a good indication that the plant is root bound. Yellowing leaves can indicate a number of things, but as the plant grows, the roots also grow. The roots will take up all the room in the pot, replacing the soil that was in there. The soil is still in the pot, but the roots gradually fill in a lot of the pores that existed in the soil and the root ball becomes a hard mass. As time goes by, the root ball loses its ability to hold enough nutrients or water to keep a bigger plant healthy. The lack of nutrients and water puts the plant into stress, causing yellowing of the leaves.

If the problem is not corrected, the root bound plant often just keeps developing its roots in a tight circular fashion and never sends those roots out into the surrounding soil. This can hinder good growth habit and even cause the plant to eventually choke itself.

How do you fix the plant?

Remove the plant from the pot. Soak the roots. Untangle the roots and cut into the root ball, pruning off about 25% of the outside roots. Then transplant into a pot one size bigger than it was in.

Pruning the bottom roots drastically isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it would be a good thing. Pruning off about 25% of the outside roots (particularly the bottom) will encourage new roots. You will find that the plant will respond positively after about a week after transplanting.

Don’t be afraid of hurting your plants. They all have a will to live and you can be much more aggressive with the roots than you think. Do this, and the plants will thank you later and make you feel that you are a better gardener.

Transplanting

When transplanting into a pot the next size up, use a good quality potting soil that doesn’t use fresh bark. Choose one that uses a good compost as its base, like EKO potting soil found at local garden centers.

I also like to use a little fertilizer as a root stimulator. I like Espoma's Bio-Tone granules mixed in the soil, or a liquid like Neptune's Harvest Fish and Seaweed.

Choose a pot no more than 2 inches larger than the current container. If transplanted into a too big pot, the plant will put all its energy into root growth instead of foliage growth. The plant will also struggle to soak up all the moisture from the waterings.

After transplanting, water well, but don’t over water. Overwatering will encourage those pesky fungus gnats. The new, good, nutritious soil, fertilizer and extra water will encourage the gnats. If you happen to overwater, don’t worry. As the soil dries out the gnats will go away. If they persist, then there are both organic and chemical ways to get rid them.

Dividing

When untangling or teasing out all those roots, you might also take that opportunity to divide the plant into 2 or 3 plants. Divide the plant down the middle, root prune and plant like you would any other plant.