Neglected Privet Recovery Plan

[scottschecter]

I acquired this neglected privet recently. The nursery pot was placed in a terracotta pot and ignored from the looks of it. As you can see, the roots have formed a pad under the nursery pot.

My question is, what is the best way to nurse this plant back to health over the fall and winter to prepare for spring repot?

Additionally, can anyone definitively identify what type of privet this is? It's in a Monrovia can so it would most likely be one of these varieties.

Thanks for any advice in advance.

 

[Forsoothe!]

You might better ask how to reign it in, they are hard to kill. Just break away the plastic pot, slip pot it in whatever, and next spring when you see evidence of life go from there.

 

[Shibui]

You might better ask how to reign it in, they are hard to kill. Just break away the plastic pot, slip pot it in whatever, and next spring when you see evidence of life go from there.

My thought exactly. When I read the title my first reaction was how can anyone neglect a privet. These trees are weeds and grow anywhere through anything.
i am not surprised to see the extra roots out of the original pot but just ignore those for now or chop them off. Leaving or losing won't worry the tree now.
In spring just unpot and root prune as hard as you can cope with. Privet will have far more resilience than you so you are unlikely to chop hard enough to even make it blink.
For now - feed heavily and water well to store as much resources as possible to get best recovery from any spring pruning and repot.

 

[sorce]

If the above wasn't true, I may hesitate to say....

Privet ain't worth purchasing, you can always dig a better one somewhere!

Welcome to Crazy!

Further, Monrovia is generally more expensive because they grow their plants well, for landscaping, so they tend to be terrible for bonsai. The expense, the "perfectness", the "cultivars" which usually have some sort of growth habit less useful for bonsai, and the fact this makes them illegal to propagate, kinda makes em hit the S list hard.

It's dark and I just heard a goose fly overhead.
"Honkers!"

Sorce

 

[scottschecter]

Thanks for the replies all. I appreciate your responses.