Roots growing outside of colander: scissor prune it?

Kudo

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I've recently purchased a black pine and repoted it into a colander. Living in a very windy place I thought the colander would dry really fast specially on the hot tropical summer and decided to protect the colander putting it into a pot. In my plan, the colander would not dry really fast because of wind but would still air prune the root tips as the interior of the pot is empty. However I noticed now there are some roots growing out of the colander. I guess I should scissor prune these roots, right?
 

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sorce

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Let em go for a while!

You'll know if they get outta hand. Then you may have to prune em.

I'd experiment without the pot.

Sorce
 
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I believe that usually in a colander you are going for "air pruning". Basically it'll take care of itself. I can't say that means you can't though. The only thing I can think of is maybe the slow natural air prune is gentler and beneficial.
 

0soyoung

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They only grow outside of the colander because it stays humid enough underneath for the roots to live. It matters not how the tips get pruned for affecting ramification. The point is remove the tips and the root branches.

Put the colander on a couple of 'boards' so more air circulates underneath, if you don't want to cut, cut, cut.
 

Wires_Guy_wires

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I have the same 'problem'. I just put my trees on a raised surface so that the escaped roots can dry out and die. Like @0soyoung says.
Shouldn't take more than a day or two. But then again, it takes a day or two to grow them back as well.. So the process is continual, or is it continuous? Anyhow, you have to do it more than once.
 

Potawatomi13

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I've recently purchased a black pine and repoted it into a colander.

First mistake!
decided to protect the colander putting it into a pot

Second mistake!

Next time use grow box or ground grow. Proliferation of plastic garbage contributing to huge mass of plastic pollution.
 

leatherback

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In my plan, the colander would not dry really fast because of wind but would still air prune the root tips as the interior of the pot is empty.
Empty, but 100% humidity. Lots of air, humid.. What's not to love for roots! You have created a propagator like @cmeg1 uses for zelkova propagation. Great roots forming, you have a very happy pine there!

So.. now take the colander out for a few days. And afterwards every week take the colander out of the pot for a few hours. That should be enough to airprune.
 

Shibui

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I can't see that it will matter if some roots grow out of the colander. They won't get very far and even if they did the mesh of the colander will prune them before they get too big.
Many people plant the colander in the ground so that some roots can grow through and speed up growth but the mesh of the colander restricts growth outside to smaller roots which then get constricted and die if they get too thick.

You can cut the roots or expose to dry air if you like but not really necessary to remove them.
 

Kudo

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Second mistake!

Next time use grow box or ground grow. Proliferation of plastic garbage contributing to huge mass of plastic pollution.
Do you mean because of the season? I live in South Hemisphere and now it's end of winter and the candles started to sprout. I guess it is the right time for repot, right?

And unfortunatelly I live on an apartment and don't have access ground growing. Grow box would be an option but I went to the colander side to create not so vigorous roots and a more uniform nebari.


Thank you all for your replies! I'll try to lift the colander from time to time and see if I can find some kind of block or wood piece to rise the colander inside the pot and avoid becaming too moist inside.
 
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