Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
This will allow the roots to extend into the
soil it is planted in. If this step is missed, the
roots will continue to circle, depriving the
plant of water and nutrients in the soil. The
plant will also be unstable.
Root girdling is almost impossible to detect. It
occurs when the young seedling is potted up
and the seed root (radicle) is bent up like a 'U'
as it is pushed into the potting mix. As the
plant grows, the U-shaped root grows to
effectively restrict the flow of water and
nutrients to the rest of the plant. At some time
in the future the plant is likely to snap off at
this point. It is a problem associated with fast-
growing trees such as eucalyptus. Often the
plant feels unstable in the pot when rocked.
Otherwise, just steer clear of bargain basement
plants and buy such long-term investments
from the most reputable growers.
The extra time
and expense taken can mean the difference between
success and failure in the landscape.
Figure 2.5
Spiralling roots, if not corrected, will never be
able to venture out into the surrounding soil. The plant is
unlikely to establish well.
Root-trainingpotsandairpruning
To overcome the problems outlined above,
many nurserymen are using different
containers. Many have ridges down the inside
of the pot to inhibit spiralling (see
Figure 2.7).
The roots hit the ridges in the pot and are
guided downwards. When the roots reach the
bottom of the pot and come into contact with
the air, they become thicker and knobbly.
This thickening is a store of carbohydrates
that will fuel rapid root growth once planted.
In more advanced plants, the use of spring
rings and root control bags allow air pruning
of the roots, resulting in a mass of fibrous
white roots. These vigorous roots will
Figure 2.6
The spiralled roots have to be slashed and
much of the bottom roots removed so that new roots can
explore the surrounding soil. The plant will need some
time to establish well.
