Root Pruning/Repotting Brugs in Large Containers
Written by Mary Voss
Friday, 17 April 2009 15:11
Brugs grown in large containers need repotting and root pruning to refresh the soil and give them a jump start. I grow my brugs in very large containers. These containers are commonly sold as “muck buckets”, and are approximately 20 gallon containers with rope handles. These can be found at places such as Wal-Mart. The brugs in these photos have been in these containers for 2-3 seasons without repotting and have gotten very root bound and in need of repotting.
You can see in this image that it has gotten very root bound. I top dressed the pots with compost last season, and you can also see the roots that popped up on the surface after being top dressed. The plants were so desperate for fresh soil and more root space.
First thing is to remove some of the soil from the bottom of the root ball. Using a sharp shovel (what my daddy used to call a sharp shooter), I remove about 1/3 of the soil from the bottom of the root ball.
Then I set the plant upright and begin removing soil from the outside, again removing about 1/3 around the entire outer edge.
I am lucky enough to have a municipal composting facility where I live, so I use 100% compost to repot, but you can use any good quality potting soil. I put soil in for the bottom first and mix in fertilizer. I used 3 types of mostly organic fertilizers. 2 that will be timed released, and one that contains beneficial bacteria. The fertilizer is then mixed into the soil and the soil firmed.
The pruned plant is then placed into the pot and soil is filled in around the outside and firmed.
