Pond baskets. Couple questions

[Mike Corazzi]

In this thread https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/clean-up-the-bush.51404/
@namnhi shows some pines in what look to be larger than Lowe's pond baskets.

@namnhi where do you get those? Or do you cut something else down to make them? Also, they look "bendy" No problems with bending fine roots?

Second question
Are pond baskets suitable for junipers? I don't know that I've seen juniper in them. ???

 

[BrianBay9]

Mine have a rigid lip at the top and seem more substantial than the ones you show. I usually buy ones that are 12 in x 12 in squares at the top, which taper slightly toward the bottom. You can find them on Amazon, but the cheapest ones I've found are at local hydroponics stores. I get them for about $1 each.

Don't know why they wouldn't work fine for junipers. They do dry out somewhat faster than regular nursery pots, so you might adjust your mix or your watering.

 

[penumbra]

A dollar apiece is crazy cheap. I was buying mine from Lowes but I did find a motivated seller on eBay so I am pretty well stocked. They do work well for junipers.

 

[Maiden69]

I think for conifers they work great, not so for deciduous. They dry out too fast and to get the benefit on deciduous you would have to water multiple times a day or sit the bottom of the basket inside a saucer with water. I tried with my liquidambar and my luma and they wilted first day we had sunny weather. I set them on a saucer for the rest of the growing season, then moved them into Rootpouch the next spring.

 

[penumbra]

I actually have a lot of deciduous plants in baskets. But they are irrigated and many are heeled into mulch beds. I also use some organics when needed, so drying is not an issue.

 

[namnhi]

In this thread https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/clean-up-the-bush.51404/
@namnhi shows some pines in what look to be larger than Lowe's pond baskets.

@namnhi where do you get those? Or do you cut something else down to make them? Also, they look "bendy" No problems with bending fine roots?

Second question
Are pond baskets suitable for junipers? I don't know that I've seen juniper in them. ???

I think I have the same as the one BrianBay9 used.

https://www.amazon.com/Cobalt-Pond-13008-Square-Planter/dp/B008AGHHA2/ref=sr_1_4?crid=45NRU8XARU2Y&keywords=pond+baskets+for+plants&qid=1662562893&sprefix=pond+basket%2Caps%2C83&sr=8-4

I think I paid a bit more than a buck a piece when I got mine. I bought 50 of them at a time and the price is very reasonable when compare to Anderson flat. I cut down about half the original height on the ones you see with the pines in so I can lower the branches down. It does wobble a bit after the rigid top removed but I find that have no impact on the roots as most of them are already well established. Also I don't move my plants much after place them in their spot. I don't have any juniper so can't really comment on how well they grow in pond basket.
NN

 

[BrianBay9]

I think for conifers they work great, not so for deciduous. They dry out too fast and to get the benefit on deciduous you would have to water multiple times a day or sit the bottom of the basket inside a saucer with water. I tried with my liquidambar and my luma and they wilted first day we had sunny weather. I set them on a saucer for the rest of the growing season, then moved them into Rootpouch the next spring.

YOU may have watering problems but not everyone lives in Texas. That being said, Mike in Lincoln California might have a climate more similar to yours than to mine (coastal California).

 

[namnhi]

I actually have a lot of deciduous plants in baskets. But they are irrigated and many are heeled into mulch beds. I also use some organics when needed, so drying is not an issue.

I have quite a few trident maples grow in pond basket as well. They all have their roots grow in the ground so drying out is not an issue for me as well. I have a few small crape myrtle grow in these as well and they do need to water more as I do not use the entire basket for soil.... only the bottom 30%. The how quickly the soil dry out would depends on how much of the container you are using and the type of soil as well.

 

[Maiden69]

But they are irrigated and many are heeled into mulch beds.

They all have their roots grow in the ground so drying out is not an issue for me as well.

So basically you don't have a pond basket, you have an Anderson flat with mesh sides... The escape root method negates the benefit of the pond basket/colander. Which is to ramify the feeders root my root pruning. Once you get a few thick roots going into the ground/mulch, the tree will "prefer" to use those roots instead of continuously branching the roots near the trunk. I know because I did that with my cherry tree, and there were very few roots near the trunk when I went to remove it from the mulch bed. Yet there were over 6' of a few long roots traveling through the mulch. This is one reason why I use bags now. By the time a root manage to escape, the tree has already created a multitude of feeder roots near the trunk.

 

[penumbra]

So basically you don't have a pond basket, you have an Anderson flat with mesh sides... The escape root method negates the benefit of the pond basket/colander. Which is to ramify the feeders root my root pruning. Once you get a few thick roots going into the ground/mulch, the tree will "prefer" to use those roots instead of continuously branching the roots near the trunk. I know because I did that with my cherry tree, and there were very few roots near the trunk when I went to remove it from the mulch bed. Yet there were over 6' of a few long roots traveling through the mulch. This is one reason why I use bags now. By the time a root manage to escape, the tree has already created a multitude of feeder roots near the trunk.

Basically shmasically, what I have are pond baskets, some going on 5 years now. I don't own an Anderson flat. I like them but they are expensive. I re-dig my baskets every spring and turn them. This simply means shaving the roots off the bottom of the basket with a spade. I also have many, many grow bags, been using them for over 30 years when Dr. Carl Whitcomb was a guest speaker at the Mid Atlantic Nurseryman's Association in Baltimore. I also have hundreds of plants in nursery pots and a good number of plants in the ground and several in growing boxes. I would not give up any of these methods. I won't limit myself to one or two methods when there are several that work.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Bendy baskets, also flexible bag pots if moved around, will break fine feeder roots if flexed too often during growing season. Best not to "flex" them. I prefer more rigid containers, Mesh is okay if it is rigid enough to not flex and break fine feeder roots when you move it.

I discovered this problem when I moved a "row" of pines in bag pots 5 times in one summer. The deterioration became obvious, especially when "the kid" did the moving, which was more of a short toss with a thump as it landed. Gentle, without flexing is key when moving pots, baskets, fiber containers, whatever.

 

[penumbra]

I moved a "row" of pines in bag pots 5 times in one summer

Seriously, you should have known better.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Seriously, you should have known better.

It was two decades ago, I was younger, trying to figure out how to keep a new dog from chewing on my trees and crapping far enough from the back door. Eventually invested a small fortune on rawhide chew toys and gave up on the rest. Dogs will chew, period. So give them things to chew.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

It was two decades ago, I was younger, trying to figure out how to keep a new dog from chewing on my trees and crapping far enough from the back door. Eventually invested a small fortune on rawhide chew toys and gave up on the rest. Dogs will chew, period. So give them things to chew.

Wrap the basket with mechanics wire.