and trimmed the canopy by quite a bit. And here it is today 5/12.............covered with spidermites I might add!
I had cut the roots more than half off on 4/7/03
Here it is on 4/7, the day it was trimmed severely and repotted.
How did you do that?
I'm soooo afraid to cut mine back(I know I should) but I can't do it.........
That is a beautiful plant Kell. Now I will get brave and prune mine too.
Very Pretty plant. I'd probably have that one in the ground someplace.
Kell great trim job! Is your email working?
kell, great going!! It takes one person to try something daring and all the rest to follow suit when it is a success. I will keep your method in mind when mine grow like that.....
It's beautiful Kell. A great job at trimming.
Lucky you! Trim job turned out well. Very nice.
Oh it is not daring Pebble. I do some bonsai (not well) and this is how you keep them small but growing well, you stimulate the small white feeder roots.
You are afraid to cut back the roots, CC? It is always good to trim the roots back in a long time potted plant for you want the fine, small white feeder roots.
I did not want to go up another pot size, but I did want to replenish the soil, and keep my self from having to water a root bound plant daily. The general rule is you can cut the canopy by the same amount you cut the roots for you need enough roots to sustain the top. In the spring, the roots grow so fast you can usually get away with even taking more off the roots than the top. I do this with all my big potted plants. I have quite a few Japanese maples (done before they leaf out) also potted up and evergreens. They all take turns getting clipped in the early spring. So I just applied the same principles to brugs. However, I do not always take so much off the roots. It depends on the plant. Brugs are very easy going so I tend to cut more off. It also depends on what the roots look like. Remember you need enough roots left to sustain the above the ground parts of the plant.
Spring is the perfect time for you can get away with a lot more than any other time of year for the plant is primed to grow and will hardly miss a beat. Do it before it gets hot. You can keep it in the shade for a week or 2 also to let it recoup though this one I just lay down right on the driveway, took a small saw and just hacked off half the rootball. Then my DH helped me lift it in the pot that I had already half filled with my soil. I finished filling the pot, watered it well and left it in full sun. I will say we had lots of rain and cloudy days so it was not too abused.
And as you can tell by all the plants in that picture, they loved it!!! That is the same ivy geranium I had last year there also! In fact I think it is 4 years old now.
Do one (and preferably not your L'amour, LOL) and see how it goes CC.
This message was edited Tuesday, May 13th 12:13 PM
I'll try it on a un named...LOL