Root-bound plants need special measures

Q. What can I do with all these encircling roots from my pot-bound plant?

A. Now is a great time of year to not only plant in your outdoor garden, but to repot your houseplants and move them outside if you are able. If your plant is severely root-bound in its pot, you first need to remove it from the pot.

Usually, the plant slides right out of the pot when it is in this condition. If it doesn't, try holding the plant upside down and tap on the bottom of the pot. You can also try inserting a dull object such as a ruler to try and free it from the sides. If necessary, cut (if plastic) or break (if clay or ceramic) the pot open to remove the plant.

If the roots are vine like, you can submerge them in water in a larger container. Fill it with room temperature water to avoid shocking the plant. This will loosen dirt and debris that might be holding the roots together. If necessary, spray with a hose to free roots of any matter. Gently loosen any matter with your hands, to free up the roots, using the water to help wash it away from them.

If the roots are fibrous and tangled or staying together in a shape of the pot, you may have to use a knife and score the outside of the roots. Use the method above of soaking them in a container filled with water. You may need to rest a heavy object on them, such as a rock, to hold them under water long enough to moisten the soil that is holding them together. Try to work the roots apart using your fingers.

Find a container approximately 1 to 2 inches larger than the one your plant was in and repot it.

Some plants, such as orchids, like their roots being snug. The houseplant, Clivia, also likes its roots fitting tightly in a pot. If the plant is growing, green, blooming (if it blooms) and appears to be healthy, it may not be necessary to transplant it into a bigger pot.

­— Jennifer Richardson

• Provided by Master Gardeners through the Master Gardener Answer Desk, Friendship Park Conservatory, Des Plaines, and University of Illinois Extension, North Cook Branch Office, Arlington Heights. Call (847) 298-3502 on Wednesdays or email northcookmg@gmail.com. Visit web.extension.illinois.edu/mg.