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Sometimes you might have noticed a gardener or the nursery guy trimming or cutting off some roots after taking out the root ball and specially if the plant is ROOT BOUND. If you are seeing it for the first time, it might hurt you, specially if you are a plant lover. Yes, this is called ROOT PRUNING.
So, What the Heck is Root Pruning?
Root pruning is the trimming or cutting of roots to stimulate more growth, develop a more thick and denser mass of roots, or to get rid of damaged or rotten roots, or to repot a root bound plant into the same or smaller pot.
Benefits of Root Pruning:
Root pruning may be required for a number of reasons:
- Like when you are repotting a new plant to facilitate potting or to stimulate more root growth.
- Another reason for root pruning is to slow down the growth because the plant’s energy goes into regrowing the cut roots and not into new top shoot growths. This is beneficial for reducing the size of the root ball when the plant is dug up.
- Proper root pruning can also stimulate the growth of more fibrous roots or hairy roots that will increase the nutrient absorption from the soil.
- Root pruning is also an important part of making bonsais – thats called Root Training.
Precautions: Make Sure the cutter is wiped with an antiseptic solution like hydrogen peroxide before using, because there is a chance of introducing infection into the plant.
