My new Azalea project. First attempt from starter stock.

[Chub]

I think I'm going to go with a grow box. I figue I'll make it as deep as the pot it's in, and maybe one foot square. Should I loosen up the roots at all, or just take it out of the pot and put it in the box?

 

[Harunobu]

Use a 1-1-1 mix of coarse(not milled) peat, perlite(or something very similar, neutral or lower ph) and finely shredded bark. This has all the nice properties you want and should prevent root rot. Especially so if the pot has enough draining holes. Putting gravel in the bottom will probably help too. That's what I do though I have never been able to establish as a fact that it works.

Roots should be loosened. If a pot bound rhododendron or azalea root ball isn't opened up, they won't grow outward and instead choke themselves. It's important to cut away rotting roots, soak away soil and open up the roots a lot.

 

[Chub]

Use a 1-1-1 mix of coarse(not milled) peat, perlite(or something very similar, neutral or lower ph) and finely shredded bark. This has all the nice properties you want and should prevent root rot. Especially so if the pot has enough draining holes. Putting gravel in the bottom will probably help too. That's what I do though I have never been able to establish as a fact that it works.

Roots should be loosened. If a pot bound rhododendron or azalea root ball isn't opened up, they won't grow outward and instead choke themselves. It's important to cut away rotting roots, soak away soil and open up the roots a lot.

Didn't read the last part of your post about soaking the away the soil. I (very nervously...lol) opened them up a little bit. And took off not quite 2 inches of roots. I'll have another chance at it though. I'm not crazy about the soil it's in, I think it's too heavy. So I'll be replanting it in the box........On a side note. The soil that was in the pot was soaked and quite a bit fell off the bottom. But it didn't seem to harm the plant yet. It's coming along pretty good as far a leafing goes.