Buxus - Confirmation of when to do root work

[k2bonsai]

Ok so 4 of the 5 buxus i dug up from the ground about 18 months ago have all done well and put on new shoots everywhere. At the time of digging them up i did not do any root work but rather wanted to get then into a largish pot and just allow for recovery time. Now I am ready to really sort out what roots i have, removing anything that does not add the design as well as cut right back to allow for new root growth and better nebari down the track.

The problem i have is that i am finding two lots of information out there, the first says to perform work like this in winter when the tree id sort of in dormancy, but other info i have read says to perform root work on trees such as this and olives etc later once the weather is warmer. So are there any buxus experts in here who can assist? Also is it ok to bare root the buxus and do some heavy root pruning? I have heard that overseas buxus are even sold bare rooted in winter...

K2

[Watto]

I have worked on a couple of buxus but I am no expert. Just for safety sake I would recommend root work in October for you, that errs on the side of caution.
I am not a big fan of bare rooting evergreens.

[Neli]

I barerooted a buxus 2 weeks ago, and root reduced it by 85%...combed the roots and planted it...weather is warmish here now...
Lennard says he never bareroots buxus, but does it in stages...like he bareroots one year 30% and do the rest with each repot...
I bareroot all trees regardless of type....but I think I provide good after care...Also I reduced the foliage mass drastically.
So here is mine but not sure yet if it will die???? So far I dont see any changes on it.
Here is mine:


I started from the bottom untangling the roots. They are easy to untangle...strong and dont break easy.



Looked at it and still the roots were just too much.

I cut off more than half the roots with the saw.
after combing and washing it some more...I cut off all the roots pointing down....coming from the bottom of the root ball....

After cutting them the roots were still too much



So I started combing all the roots radially...it is a small one...I grew it from a tip cutting for 3 years.

[rodm]

Hi Neli,
I can see your a person after my own heart, saws and hoses etc. I've just repotted my two buxus a couple weeks ago, I would of probably cut abit more of the roots. You see how vigorous and healthy your plant is, it looks like it going to do well. Do you use a fish emulsion? Looks like a plant with heaps of potential.
Cheers Rod

[Neli]

Rod you are probably right...I found a friend who never even bareroots his buxus...he sort of bareroots wedges...each time he repots...so I went with my instincts, and barerooted it but to be on the safe side I left a bit more roots...but note that I removed probably close to 90% of the roots.
I dont have experience with buxus repots.
I dont have fish emulsion here...but plan to make my own soon...I use kelp and disprin on repot and bone meal.

[time8theuniverse]

Your method of root pruning this tree is the same one I use for anything which has been in a plastic pot for a while (like old nursery stock). The only slight difference is I clean the base of the trunk and the top of the root system first to work with the full proportion of the trunk.

Your fertilizer sounds just as good any other. The kelp is going to be good with after care.

[Neli]

Good point about : clean the base of the trunk and the top of the root system first.
To be honest half of the time I forget...though I like it. I think I get into a panic mode when I repot.
This one is a small buxus, not much large roots on top...pot is also small..around 20 cm diameter...I will need to repot it almost every year...so I shall try to repot it and clean the top next time...
Another thing is I use 100% inorganic mix most of the time...crushed village bricks...ZAKADAMA... (Zambian akadama)...large sand and laterite from the side of the road... ,,all well sieved and washed. But I fertilize every week.

[rodm]

Hi K2,
Mate my two buxus were only shohin size (under 250mm). With both of them I root
pruned approx 50 - 60% off, dusted the mix off, trimmed the heavier roots and shaped up the rootball a bit to give it more room in the pot. Cleaned and used the same pot. Didn't do any major folioage pruning, just a light trim. Now the japanese box has a full flush of new leaves: the harlandii starting show new growth but that's typical. Generally repot ever 2nd or 3rd year
Cheers Rod