Fall repot for Boxwood

BrianBay9 · Oct 19, 2020

We had a COVID careful, outdoor bonsai sale at our club over the weekend. It was the first non-virtual club event since March. I think one of the best buys there was this large, boxwood clump, for $125. It's the opposite of my other big, masculine boxwood, but it was lanky and looked like it was struggling a bit. No problem, boxwoods love my yard.

But I found that the soil absolutely repelled water. It was way past needing a repot. Even after poking holes, it was pooling water for several minutes. I suspect the previous owner is in one of our hotter microclimates and was compensating by using a heavy soil mix. An 'heavy' is literal. I could barely move this one on my own.

BrianBay9 · Oct 19, 2020

I don't typically do a fall repot, but boxwood grow here year-round, and we just finished the last (hopefully) of our hot weather. And I'm not sure this would get through the winter in its current state. So repot began. It took quite a bit of work to cut it out of the pot.

Absolutely packed roots, lots of field soil and an anaerobic smell to it. I'm convinced I made the right choice. During the root reduction I found six drain hole screens deep in the roots. The pot only has two drain holes. I wonder if a previous own changed pots (twice) and just set the tree in the new pot without real root work?