For a REALLY potbound pine root prune

[Mudroot]

Would it help to soak the pot for several hours prior to attempting to prune the roots?
It's a pretty hard packed ball.

 

[Vance Wood]

Actually; depending on how you are planing to execute the procedure, you are better off having the soil mass dry or at least on the dry side. A wet soil mass is easily destroyed when wet. If the tree is as bad as it sounds I would recommend using a sharp saw or knife and cutting off one third of the old soil mass from off the bottom. Then take a chop stick or something similar and loosen the circling roots from around what is left of the remainders of the soil mass. Do not do anything more than has been recommended. Is this tree going into some sort of training situation or a bonsai pot, like a colander or pond basket?

Pictures would help. In the case with a really root bound tree it is best to reduce this mess down a bit at a time. If you do it the way described you can clean it up in two or three years when you repot again, and it should survive. If you try to remove too much odds are good you will kill the tree. What kind of Pine are you dealing with? Photos would help.

 

[Mudroot]

That's a good idea. Actually I had VERY good luck with a nursery pot tree (of some sort) by simply cutting the bottom half off with a sharp knife. It was much smaller, but same principle.
I don't have the monster out of the pot for pix, but am going to do the saw thing.

 

[Vance Wood]

That's a good idea. Actually I had VERY good luck with a nursery pot tree (of some sort) by simply cutting the bottom half off with a sharp knife. It was much smaller, but same principle.
I don't have the monster out of the pot for pix, but am going to do the saw thing.

With a tree in this condition it is important that you do not ravage the remainder of the soil ball by tearing it apart and stressing out the rest of the roots. I have been doing it his way for thirty years please listen.

 

[Vance Wood]

Do you know what species of Pine you are trying to work with and yes it's important. Sometimes actions can be dictated by species of tree and time of year etc.

A reminder: Do not get adventurous and cut into what is left of the original soil mass.

 

[Mudroot]

Well, er...um...ahhh.... we debated at one time what it actually WAS.
I said Scots and you said Mugo.
I know you know your pines. But every pic I've found on the Inet that illustrates Sylvestris matches exactly with the Scots.
I have no idea.
It was labeled Scots when purchased, but it was also a long long long time ago.
The branches are WAY longer, reachier, and skinnier than any mugo in MY experience.
Which is far less than yours.

I'll post pix of mine, a scots and a mugo I found on the google images.

SOMETHING is gonna happen when I repot it. It's been through wars in its life, that's for sure and survived.

Luck? I dunno.

 

[Adair M]

Mud root, on your second picture, the one where are doing a close up of the buds...

It looks like there are three shoots coming from one spot on the twig.

Here is a basic concept with pines: reduce them down to two. Whenever you get a place where more than two shoots grow, determine which two are the keepers, and eliminate the others. Usually, this means the center twig is removed. It's usually the strongest, and longest, so removing it helps to keep the tree compact.

So, in that photo, the twig in the center of the photo should be cut off at its base.

Go thru the whole tree and find all instances of where this occurs and reduce down to two.

 

[Mudroot]

That particular pic was a stock Google image. Mine is the top pic. But you're right.

 

[Vance Wood]

Actually it does not matter Mugo and Scots can be treated the same way, I have had really good luck doing just that for years.