Dogwood scrub

[Merlotlo]

Hello!

I picked up this dogwood scrub at my local nursery for $2. It was growing roots out if the bottom of it's container and is my root bound.

Am I okay to root prune it now in Oregon? I feel so bad for the little guy, he's trapped!!
Any advice would be helpful. Thank you

 

[Merlotlo]

View of the surface roots

 

[Mellow Mullet]

Are you sure it is not a boxwood, instead of a dogwood? I am not sure how much growing season you have left in Oregon, but I am sure others will help.

John

 

[Merlotlo]

Face palm! My brain got all jumbled up but I definitely meant boxwood!

 

[Japonicus]

I would go ahead with your boxwood and slice the bottom half of the roots off.

Rake out the outer roots and place in some bonsai soil mixed with some organic soil
as that’s not doubt what it’s in now. Come Spring you could revisit the roots
and bare root the shrub, removing all soil, and replace with good draining bonsai soil.

In the meantime, remove no foliage that is alive before late Summer next year
if you repot in the Spring, and recovery is evident. If it’s weak, no pruning next year.

 

[penumbra]

Boxwood are tough and can take a lot of abuse. I transplant, root prune and shape them almost anytime. I will be working on a couple later this week.

 

[substratum]

Oregon is one of those unusual temperate zones, with much of it being 8b... same as North Florida.

Nice find for $2.

 

[Saddler]

While I only have 7-8 boxwood and am no expert, I have had really bad luck repotting after June. One died and another is finally recovering after two full years. It will be fine until spring when I’ve had my best luck. I’m happy I documented my oak style broom boxwood here because it has been the best responding to what I’ve done (until recently). Check it out, it’s a similar story to what you have. I’ll be updating it soon. https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/a-blue-bill-buxus-built-to-be-a-broom.25523/

 

[sorce]

While I only have 7-8 boxwood and am no expert, I have had really bad luck repotting after June. One died and another is finally recovering after two full years. It will be fine until spring when I’ve had my best luck. I’m happy I documented my oak style broom boxwood here because it has been the best responding to what I’ve done (until recently). Check it out, it’s a similar story to what you have. I’ll be updating it soon. https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/a-blue-bill-buxus-built-to-be-a-broom.25523/

I'm noting that surviving box was cut on top and bottom equally. Which fits into what I've noticed works.

How did the others go?
Not equally reduced I reckon?

Best to hack tops and bottoms at once.

It's not luck. It's correct.

Doubt timing matters much.

But around the last and this next full moon works here.

Sorce

 

[Saddler]

^That^ surviving box was done in April. The two I was referring to were done the same way repotted out of a rootbound pot and cut way back. The one that died never got the final cut back because dead and the other got it this spring. All my boxwood are all from the same field in the same condition, treated the same, other then the time of year they repotted/cut back. My healthy ones I have repotted without branch trimming and branch trimmed without root pruning.

My best results are cutting back in early March and repotting in late Apri/early May after it starts to push after it pushes a few new buds.

I tried trimming the boxwood in the link July 1st and it has been super slow to push new growth. It’s finally growing again a month later. I won’t be doing that again, what a waste of time. It was easily the most vigorous of my boxwood too.

 

[Merlotlo]

Thank you all for the advice. I got two of them, I just like the roots on one better than the other. So I guess I shall experiment a bit and repot one now and the other in spring. We shall see how they do!

 

[sorce]

tried trimming the boxwood in the link July 1st and it has been super slow to push new growth. It’s finally growing again a month later

I reckon you may have just cut em a bit early.
I try to cut mine at summer dormancy.
Did em a couple weeks ago.

They are just starting to push again.
Aka summer dormancy is over.

Sorce

 

[sorce]

Ps. @Saddler thanks for the box account.

Sorce

 

[Saddler]

Thank you all for the advice. I got two of them, I just like the roots on one better than the other. So I guess I shall experiment a bit and repot one now and the other in spring. We shall see how they do!

Not a bad plan at all. What does and doesn’t work for me might or might not work for you. I will recommend that you leave yourself a lot more time then you think you will need to repot. Those roots are brutal to comb through in that state as well as not scarring up that thin bark trying to get at the bottom roots. I’m thinking it could take you up to six hours if haven’t done many root bound repots. It might only take you an hour if you cut the bottom off close to the tree. I think it took me 3-4 hours by the time clean up was finished and I was exhausted. I got a tonne of enjoyment out of it though. Good luck and have fun.