Did I over do the root prune on my Firethorn?

Chub

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My little firethorn just didn't seem to have the oomph lately. So after 4-5 years in it's original pot I figured it was finally time to repot it. I couldn't even get it out of the pot, I had to break it. Is that uncommon? Anyway when I finally got it out, it was a mess. Seemed like pretty much all of the soil was gone. Most of the finer roots just fell away. Had to pick through the others. So did take off too much?
 

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I would have cut those big ones by half. Looks like pretty good feeder roots up high, enough to support that thrunk anyway.
 

Chub

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I would have cut those big ones by half. Looks like pretty good feeder roots up high, enough to support that thrunk anyway.

And I thought I over did it..lol. I did run into a problem with those bigger ones. I couldn't find an end of that loop of roots. Couldn't tell which end was which, and couldn't pull it apart without breaking them so I didn't mess with them.

Here it is in it's new pot. I had the pot laying around from a tree that I lost a few years ago.
 

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Looks good. I think you did a fine job with it. Next year maybe take it back a little further. I repot my pyra's every year cause they grow roots like elms. I prune them pretty aggressivly.
 

Chub

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Thanks...So is common to have to break a pot to remove a tree?
 

Chub

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Looks like it's going to drop it's leaves. Is that normal after a root pruning?
 

Mike423

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No, breaking the pot at re-potting time is not normal, it was probably due to the little guy being so massively root bound that its root system had filled every oraphis of the pot like a brick. If the tree is under or around 10 years old it should be repotted/root pruned every year. I also agree that most of the roots left are too thick. Next year I would maybe cut half of them back hard and then the following year do the other side.

I'm no Firethorn expert and have never owned one myself, but since it should be a evergreen (meaning it does not defoliate itself in winter) that it is dropping its leaves due to stress. I would recommend placing it in a shaded location (under a bench or tree) or preferably in a humidity dome to help it bounce back.
 

Colorado Slim

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another possibility is that a cheaply made ceramic pot will not withstand a cold winter, if this pot had spent a season or two out in the cold, the pot may just have been brittle.
 

Chub

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Don't think my Firethorn survived the root prune and repotting. Lots of brown dried up leaves no new grow. I just moved some soil around and didn't see any new root sprouts either. Is it a good bet that I killed it?
 

Kaztan

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I nrecon it's probably dead. This is not a good time of year to start re-potting trees, could you not have left it to the spring time? The only thing to do now is to put it into a plastic bag and keep it in the shade, leave for two weeks before checking and hope for the best.
 

Chub

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I did this back in July. Was that the wrong time? Also it's indoor under lights.
 
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