The Whistling Gardener

by Steve Smith

Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville, located at 3915 Sunnyside Blvd., and a respected local expert on all things horticultural. You can reach Steve at 425-334-2002 or by e-mail at info@sunnysidenursery.net.

For the life of me, I just don't understand what it is about roots that make gardeners so squeamish. There seems to be this fear that if you touch a root or--God forbid--cut one, that your plant will instantly go into convulsions and drop dead on the spot. But nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, speaking of truths, I would dare to say that it is the lack of touching roots that is the major cause of newly transplanted plants not establishing themselves and ultimately dying. Here is why.

Plants from a garden center come in three forms: bare root, balled and burlap and container grown. A bare root plant is one that was grown on a farm in the ground, was dug up rather unceremoniously last fall, had the soil washed off the roots, was stored either in a cooler or heeled into sawdust for the winter, was shipped to the nursery in January, heeled back into sawdust and sold to the public through the end of March. When you purchase a bare root plant, the roots are bare--as in no soil on them. A good portion of the root system was actually left behind at the farm and other than trimming off any broken roots, there is little a gardener needs to do to the root system. (This whole process should be testament to just how tough plants really are.)

Balled and burlap plants are also grown on a farm in the ground, only instead of washing all the soil off the roots when they are harvested, the farmer digs a "ball of soil" and wraps it in burlap. When you purchase a balled and burlap plant usually all you need to do is set the plant in the hole, remove all the twine, especially any plastic bailing twine which doesn't decompose, open the top of the sack and shove it down in the hole. Again, many of the original roots were left behind in the field so there isn't much to fuss with when it comes to roots. (By the way, the roots will grow through the burlap and the burlap will decompose in a season so there is no need to remove it from the hole.) I should add at this point that there are those who would recommend that you remove all the soil from a balled and burlap plant and treat it as though it were bare root. While the theory for this practice is good, the practicality of it is not. Most gardeners would probably kill a balled and burlap plant if they bare-rooted it. This practice is best left to the professionals.

The lion's share of plants that are bought from a nursery are grown in containers. These plants were never grown in real dirt on a farm, but rather have spent their entire lives in a pot, growing in a mix of bark, pumice, sand, peat moss and compost and artificially fed with either natural or synthetic fertilizers. They have their entire root system intact. When you slip your plant out of the pot you should see just enough roots to hold the soil mass together. Too few roots and the soil falls apart, too many and you've got problems, big problems. And this is where "touching roots" becomes an essential step in achieving success. You simply can't wimp out at this point, so buck up and stay with me.

If you encounter plants with too many roots (what we call being root-bound in the trade) then you have to take drastic action. Ornamental grasses and many perennials are notorious for being root-bound. Some shrubs and trees can also end up in the same condition.

The first thing I do is to soak the plant thoroughly in a bucket of water for a few minutes. Then, after removing the plant from the pot, I take a knife or even an old saw and cut off the bottom inch or two of the root system. You will have what looks like a root pancake. Just throw it away and keep working. If you find yourself hyperventilating at this point then try the paper bag trick (not over the root ball, over your head).

Next, rough up the edges of the root ball with a small cultivating fork so that it no longer resembles the size or shape of the pot it was growing in. Finally, take the knife or saw and score down the sides of the root ball, making cuts an inch deep and a few inches apart. Go all around the ball. Now you can put your new plant in the hole and finish the job. Believe me, the second and third one will be a lot easier.

When buying a new plant, if you are still unsure what to do, ask the nursery professional to show you the root system and have him/her explain what needs to be done. They love to make gardeners squirm.

Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville. He can be reached at 425-334-2002 or online at info@sunnysidenursery.net