I Cut My Plant’s Roots In Half...And This Happened

Root pruning is one of the best things you can do for your plant and I explain why in this video.
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#houseplantcare #houseplantcaretips #indoorplants

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Get exclusive bonus content at www.patreon.com/sheffieldmadeplants

[@theoryofpersonality1420]

Research air pruning

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

@@theoryofpersonality1420 I have 😁

[@theoryofpersonality1420]

@@SheffieldMadePlants I've got plants that planted themselves in a air pruning self watering grow bucket I've made. A bunch of herbs, some wild violets even some wood sorrel. It's got a parsley that's over three years old survives the snow and everything. Even survived temps over 100f. I've been really impressed by it. One day I want to find a factory and make a planting system for homes that don't have to be manually watered or repotted for places like nursing homes and disabled people. Just buy pots and attach them together then to the system and they water and air prune their own roots. All they would need is a bit of plant food once in a while added to the system. Maybe later on hook a self cleaning fish tank to it that uses fish water to supplement the plants.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

@@theoryofpersonality1420 very cool 👌

[@hongang2237]

Pm

[@seankelly5469]

I've been professionally doing outdoor landscape installation since 2007, and this is 100% STANDARD practice.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

👍👍👍

[@jujubeethatsme]

Hi Sean, So you're saying that before you plant your plants outdoors you shear off 1/3 of the roots? I just want to be sure before I try it

[@seankelly5469]

@jujubeethatsme if the plant has become pot bound, yes. And we will also cut or loosen any roots growing around the outside of the root ball. The theory is its cause a small amount of stress to form a more substantial root system in the future

[@jujubeethatsme]

@@seankelly5469 Thank you for the clarification :)

[@LinA-it9vd]

I’m wondering if you can do this to boxwoods in pots outside. Mine are out growing their pots.

[@Gr3nadgr3gory]

Curting a plant almost always encorages new growth. Thats why grass cutting is such a great racket.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

👍👍👍

[@Goldlion973]

"You just watered it... for peats sake" - Hope no one missed that one 😂😂😂

[@john_hunter]

Worked at a tree nursery and would regularly prune the roots of young unpotted trees just as the growing season started. Adopted this practice with my houseplants and the results are stunning.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Nice 👌

[@ClaLu]

With trees??? Like teenage trees ment to be potted forever? Or standard nursery tree ment to be planted with plenty of space to grow...in the earth I mean? 😊

[@Yora21]

@@ClaLu Tree nurseries have the special requirement that their young trees will be ripped from the ground and replanted somewhere else. If you allow the roots to grow freely, they will spread out in all direction. Then when you take the tree out of the ground, you will either have to cut of 90% of the roots, including the most important fine roots at the tips, or you end up with a giant root ball that is mostly soil and impossible to transport. What you need to have a tree that is able to survive being taken from the ground is a dense ball of short roots. Which is exactly what you get from pruning the roots.

[@thecottageatwoodlandcorners]

This is probably the best explanation of "root bound" I've ever heard. I usually repot in a larger pot. I never even thought of reducing the roots.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Terrific! Thanks for watching

[@seanrathmakedisciples1508]

@@SheffieldMadePlants True. A great video teaching. I’ve subscribed to your KZbin channel

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

@@seanrathmakedisciples1508 thanks 👍

[@MrsGarks]

Yes agreed. All these Plant-Tubers with hundreds of baby plants never seem to mention how they'll accommodate hundreds of 10" plus pots if they're upsizing them.

[@jb5music]

I loved how it was real clear about putting the dirt on the bottom

[@christinemanigian209]

I do this all the time. My mother taught me. I have plants more than 40 years old without having changed the pot😊

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Great stuff 👍

[@sevinc1907]

Does it work for benjamin and jade plant ?

[@christinemanigian209]

It probably works for all plants except Rhododendron, Azalea, & a few others. If you cut roots in half that should be just fine.​@@sevinc1907

[@MarcusRefusius]

I was a Nurseryman for 17 years, my dad was a Nurseryman for 55 years. Great advice. With Bonsai, we root prune every two growing seasons and add a bit of fresh soil, but not strong fertilizer. We have a Maple that’s been in the same pot for 40+years.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

That is awesome!

[@TrasteIAm]

Please share some good nursery rhymes.

[@MarcusRefusius]

@@TrasteIAm There once was a man from Nantucket He kept all his plants in a Bucket He trimmed all their roots and they bore him some fruits He made Lollipops so folks could just suck it.

[@haydenj4738]

​@@MarcusRefusiuslegend

[@sarahhalik5565]

@@MarcusRefusiusAmazing

[@Propqueen]

I ALWAYS cut about 40% roots off what I’m repotting and usually use the same pot. So I can attest this is a great practice. But I always wait about 2-3 days to water so the cuts can heal a bit.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Great stuff 👍

[@ivanrivera777]

Came to say this, you gotta let the cuts heal to prevent fungus and other diseases infecting your plant

[@tishie42]

My neighbor audibly gasped when she was watching me plant my garden. They all came from a nursery, were all root bound, and some were rotting. I literally just ripped the bottom half off,picked through he rest for mush,and left maybe a third of roots. After one week all of the flowers look great and are going like weeds. She said she's too scared to do that. I said well that explains why your exact same plants we bought on the exact same day are dead and mine are not...😂 Edit to say I deal with African violets and other epiphytic plants so I'm used to messing with roots and trimming them.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Very nice!

[@irmawehle7430]

Thalassa Cruso!

[@Vunderbread]

I have two dwarf mango trees. Been in pots for 3 years. I'm about to transfer them into the ground, finally, and I'm sure they're very badly rootbound. Would this same tip work for these trees, do you think?

[@allenpost3616]

This is great advice. Root pruning is a normal routine in the art of Bonsai to keep your pot size small. But with Bonsai repotting, the general rule is to prune an equivalent amount of top growth for the amount of roots that are removed to maintain balance between the top and the root system and lessen the chance of shock. For If the plant does not have the root system to support the top growth there could be welting or even die back of top growth. Just keep that in mind.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Nice tip thanks. I’m not familiar with bonsai so good to know

[@angeladoll9785]

Thanks for the advice, I started a Mimosa tree that I want to keep small & potted. I'll check out that bonsai expert too!

[@allenpost3616]

@@4ll4ll Yes indeed, Mr Nigel Saunders is a great Bonsai master. I am a long time sub. :)

[@valerieenglish1003]

I had a BONSI tree 40 years back that I would painstakingly watch over and trim back: suddenly I realized the abuse I was doing to this poor plant that should have been allowed to grow into a majestic giant Maple Tree!! But concerning root overload on many plants I certainly agree to cut off the old to regain the new more vigerous roots.... So this is what I'm going for over the next few days, thank you!

[@helengren9349]

👍 Yes, i thought the same..☝️ There is a reason why there are big thick roots to support the size of the plant.. 🤷‍♀️Blessings 🙏🕊️🌟

[@AFFTFOMSICHTS]

Omg thank god for this man!! I don’t want my plants getting any bigger as I’m tired of buying new pots constantly and I don’t have the space for huge plants

[@tweaked53]

nice video, good information for SOME plants. I ran a greenhouse for 7 years and also am an avid gardener (indoor and outdoor) for 50+ years. A couple of things I would mention that aren't mentioned in your video, though... 1) when repotting a plant, you should use a big enough pot to allow 1" or more gap at the top of the pot to allow for a good watering (you can't water one very well if the root ball is all the way to the top of the pot) 2) not all plants like to have endless root space; most geraniums and many other flowering plants start to bloom when they are potbound or almost potbound 3) some of the plants you chopped were hardly rootbound, I wouldn't chop one until it is clearly a mass of intertangled roots at the bottom; some plants like spider plants always have a mass of tubular roots and once they are potbound, that is when they send out their babies on separate stalks; 4) soil mixture is EVERYTHING in plant culture, not every soil is perfect for every plant, it is wise to check what soil the plant prefers. Although some commercial mixes today are very good, they don't satisfy a plant that wants a sandy soil or one with a lot of peat moss. Even if I do chop a plant I will usually split it down the middle and trim the bottom 1/3 of roots only, and split into two plants so they both can flourish. 5) some plants like rhizomatious begonias don't have much of a root structure, the rhizomes store the nutrients above the soil in many cases, so it is not wise to chop them up as they are very sensitive to root disturbances. 🙂

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks for the tips 👍

[@sunshinepatsoph4219]

Thanks

[@stormyweather8798]

Thank u. Need to gv my over wintered geraniums some help. No repot needed.😅

[@marthacalkins8054]

And yet, there are some plants (looking at you, spider plant) that absolutely thrive on being root bound. A root bound spider plant is a happy spider plant. It won’t even begin to put out spiderettes until it is.

[@bluesky7838]

After 20 years in medium light, during some renovation work, my already crowded in its-pot sansevieria was accidentally placed in front of a south facing window in the spring. I was unable to get to it for several months -- I think I managed to climb through precarious piles of boxes to get water to it a couple of times. Sitting in hot sun for at least three months (probably longer), it tripled in height, sprouted a bunch of pups, and started sending out shoot after shoot of flowers, sometimes three or four at once. I understand that only happens under stress--it had never flowered before. Once I retrieved it, I put it in a bigger pot... It's never been as happy again as it was that summer, and has never flowered again.

[@gfamily1943]

In the aquarium hobby it's advised to cut the tips of the roots before planting in your substrate. It encourages new root growth which helps the plant anchor itself and not uproot itself

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Cool didn’t know that. Thanks for sharing

[@gfamily1943]

@@SheffieldMadePlants plants will float, so getting the roots to establish itself quick is important. All it takes is a bump and that plant is uprooted and floating at the surface. Replanting that plant repeatedly is stressful on it So by trimming the roots you encourage it to focus its energy there. I've never seen aquatic plants die from having their roots trimmed. You will however stunt their growth if it keeps uprooting and being replanted. So trimming the roots is a vital step in planted aquariums. I had an Amazon Sword that was stunted in growth because it had been moved around too often I may know a ton on aquarium plants but I'm new to house plants and your channel has been immensely helpful in this. Thank you for the content 🙏

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

@@gfamily1943 Thanks for watching

[@tokaiju]

oh that's such a good tip, i didn't know that, thanks

[@gfamily1943]

@@tokaiju remember though just the tips unless the roots look unhealthy. Same rule applies with aquarium plants never cut more than a 3rd of your roots

[@-beee-]

In retrospect, this kinda makes sense to me because growing out in the non-potted world, you'd expect plants roots to get eaten by bugs and whatever, so of course they'd have adaptive strategies for regrowth, and they may even become dependent on such renewals.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

That makes sense 👍

[@senie3709]

🔥🔥🔥

[@Treeofwysdm]

B, as someone who's far more of an outdoor "non-potted" gardener than an indoor one, I agree with you 100%! And I'm stealing non-potted 😂

[@edgewatersbestguitarist1524]

Hey you see how certain trees grow. You'd think that dry leafless chewed branch was dead af but then, out of nowhere, there's those little green nubs coming through the bark. Just think what survives seasonal snowstorms?

[@tmontero8492]

This technique worked great for my orchid. Its roots were literally climbing out of its pot like a giant spider. Chopped off its long skinny "legs" along with enough pot bound roots to allow the orchid to fit comfortably into its pot. Has been blooming like crazy ever since!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Nice 👌

[@xw591]

Glad to hear your orchid is doing well, however bear in mind that (unlike most houseplants) orchids are a special epiphyte that throws out roots into the air all the time. Make sure you're giving the orchid the specific kind of care for its needs and growing pattern 😄❤

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

@@xw591 So... should I grow an indoor shrub to mount the orchid on?

[@Yora21]

As horticulture gardeners in Germany, we've been tought in trade school to simply make a few slices with a knife through the root ball when repotting it. Exactly as with pruning branches, the cut roots will start growing multiple new fine roots from each cut. I've not heard about cutting off a whole third of the root ball (since commercially we only deal with young plants, not old ones), but for struggling plants that are not supposed to grow any larger, all of this really sounds like a great idea that makes perfect sense with how plants and their roots are understood by professionals.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Great stuff 👍

[@TheNetsrac]

'Root pruning is one of the dark arts of house plant care' 🤣 I love your humour and the way you phrase things, it's so Brittish 👍🏻 I never tried or even thought about this solution to root-bound plants, but I'm willing to try it out. I got a five chilli pepper plants from last year, they are now pretty big and in need of watering almost every other day, despite them being in three litre pots... They have a lot of flowers and two of them have some chillies growing already. Might be best to wait with the root pruning of them until fall. Pruning the roots while they have flowers and/or peppers growing might stress the plant too much Thank you for the video, I will certainly try out root pruning

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks 😊 Yes probably best to wait with flowering plants 👍

[@jaydobbyn3975]

You can add some sort of a substrate on the top such as rocks or pebbles to help lock moisture in. Glad I’m not the only one that does not throw away chilli plants they turn into trees.

[@TheNetsrac]

@@jaydobbyn3975 I've added some bark chippings on top of the soil or rather pieces of bark, that I picked up in the nearby forest to help with moisture I like overwintering some of my chillies, and they do indeed turn tree-like. I actually harvested a red Habanero a couple of days ago. It was verry small and not that hot, but hey, it was there 😃

[@mommyharris1111]

I’ve root pruned by 3 year old Meyer lemon tree when I bought my new house. I didn’t want to leave it at my old apartment. I clipped all the root’s except for the feeder root (I waited about 2 weeks after root pruning). It went into shock, but it came back, and now after a few years, it looks better than ever. Happy pruning!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Nice! Happy pruning

[@swedneck]

to be fair i would also need some time to recover if you cut my feet off, so i don't blame the tree

[@dianeleirer9878]

This is good to know. I have a 50 year old grapefruit tree that needs to be repotted and I’m at the maximum pot size. I’m hoping it will survive root surgery🫣.

[@k8marlowe]

For people who are not as familiar with plant care, this is valuable information. Much of the language in literature that is out there really does leave one feeling the roots are so delicate that one must be very careful not to disturb them. … I actually discovered this trick on accident years ago when first fumbling through plant care. I needed a favorite plant to fit back into its container. So, I cut the roots back in the spring, and it grew to about 5 times its previous size that summer. Now, I do it when needed to plants that need a boost. Bravo for sharing this.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thank you very much!

[@mico2xs]

This is me. You definitely meant this for me. lol I'm trying so hard to learn and I had not heard of this in all of my research.

[@RevCeleste]

Thanks for this! I'm not only going to try it I'm sharing this video with my sister. By the way I absolutely love your sense of humor which is why you are one of the few plant people on KZbin that I have chosen to subscribe to

[@djnick59]

I have been a root pruner for many years---it seems natural to me. I appreciate your humor too. Keep it up.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks, will do!

[@AKINAacacia]

I want to first say that since finding this channel I've tried a few strategies and my favorite so far is using an old chopstick to aerate the soil and turn my plants weekly. The new growth is unbelievable! I think it's time for me to try root cutting on a few plants! Thanks!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Great to hear! Thanks for watching 😁

[@Sydney-il7bs]

Don't go cutting willy nilly my friend. When they're rootbound or diseased

[@Bowl1992]

Could you please reference the video where this is explained? Sounds interesting Thanks:)

[@1TheWhiteKnight1]

Just mix some perlite and coco into the soil and add some h2o2 to the water now and again.

[@SecretNinjaUnicorn10]

@@1TheWhiteKnight1how much peroxide do you suggest, and which percentage?

[@stemney]

Your advice is always exactly what I didn’t know I needed. My many plant babies thank you extensively for these videos, you are helping me so much.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Awesome!

[@Ocelot429]

Thanks for this video. One of the things thats been on the back of my mind since I've started keeping house plants is "Am I expected to just up pot forever when plants become root bound?" But now that I understand that root pruning is a thing and I can perpetually keep the same pot sizes I'm not really worried about running out of space now. Makes my space concerns a lot easier to handle.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Glad you found it useful 👍

[@reysquadron7820]

Monstera? I'm been thinking the same thing. I don't mind a large plant but I only have one room for it and they only make pots so big. I was thinking prune at the nodes and propagate new ones, but was wondering if cutting the roots would be ok too.

[@EmmaMorgan09]

I’ve done this to my large potted trees in the garden for years. They grow in dustbins. Every 5 years or so I cut the rootball down by 50% and repot back in the dustbin. The new growth is always fantastic.!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Great thanks for sharing

[@tigerlily3058]

Because of your plant videos I am finally able to keep my plants healthy. Thank you for your time you put into these informative videos

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

I appreciate that, thanks!

[@72marshflower15]

Love your avatar and alias @tigerlily

[@TaraB1134]

Well it’s about time somebody is talking about this! Thank you! I am a newbie to indoor gardening and this was the very first question I had - can we prune root balls the way we do outdoors with perennials? I was frustrated with the lack of information about this crucial task. I live in a small home so space near windows is a precious commodity and I can’t have my plants growing too large. In outdoor gardening we just dig up the plant, take the spade and slice the roots apart, and voila, now you have 2 or 3 or more new plants and you’ve refreshed the growth of the mother plant. THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO. ❤

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks for watching 😁

[@u2bst1nks]

I'm reading comments here from aquarium enthusiasts, bonsai practitioners, gardeners, etc... I also have more of a gardening background (and some hydroponics) and am newer to tropical houseplants. (I bet cannabis growers would know a lot too.) There seems to be so much information that is well known in one community but not others. I'd love to see discussion between communities so we can come up with new tactics and strategies.

[@TOMETOYOU65]

I did this to my two large pot bound bay trees I have out in the garden about three years ago, I'm no expert and didn't really know if it would work but thought I would give it a go, to my surprise it did and now they are ready for another good root trimming. I am fed up of having to keep buying new pots for my large collection of shrubs in my small garden, after listening to this gentlemen I will be doing more of my shrubs.😉

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Nice 👌

[@TOMETOYOU65]

@@SheffieldMadePlants Please don't laugh but, I forgot to mention that, the root ball was so big I needed to use my electric saw, it did not do them any harm at all. Tough little so & so's aren't they.🤣

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

@@TOMETOYOU65 like it!

[@Inqyer]

@@SheffieldMadePlants 😅😅❤

[@philc9227]

Thanos was right.

[@LokiandBjorn]

He was totally! Snap

[@AriaIsara]

😭

[@tinasteer2507]

4:16 I live in the subtropics and have practiced this method with pot plants and some garden plants for about 50years. Even new plants from the nursery get a trim before planting be it inside or out. I used to have a large covered area specifically for subtropical plants. Friends would bring plants to me to see if I could help them to survive. Most problems were overwatering. I would get them to leave the plants with me as I think if they saw me cut the bottom of their precious plants they would have a heart attack. From memory I think I only lost one or two.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Sounds like the perfect sanctuary for plants 😁

[@Gr3nadgr3gory]

Pot plants or potted plants? Or potted pot plants?

[@esterwyman]

AWESOME 👏😎, Plant Whisperer 👍🪴

[@bedtimebiblechat7152]

I've been doing that for my root bound plants since 1970s. You can't untangle the roots when they get really badly root bound! So, I figured just cut it off and repot and if it lives, good, if not, it was going to die anyway. It turned out beautiful!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Spot on!

[@patriciamalone3553]

I love your article. On the big plants with many stems, just separating or cutting it in half into more than one plant also helps and that way you dont have to buy larger pots.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Yep that's good to do 👍

[@itsjustme987]

I actually did this last year when I watched your original video. The plant has grown so much and is thriving better than all other plants in my house. I'm getting ready to do it to my large peace lily.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Great stuff! 😁

[@BeautifulEarthJa]

Have you? Going to do it to my peace lily too.

[@itsjustme987]

@Veronica I actually ended up doing to my spider plant instead. I do plan to do it this weekend though.

[@u2bst1nks]

I'm kind of surprised that fabric pots and air pots aren't used more frequently by houseplant hobbyists. The roots grow into the fabric, dry out, and are 'air pruned' automatically. It prevents root circling, causes more fibrous root growth, allows more air to the root ball, and helps prevent overwatering. If you don't like the way fabric looks, you can stick it in a cache pot.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Air pots look interesting

[@tinasteer2507]

What are fabric pots and air pots?

[@u2bst1nks]

@@tinasteer2507 a fabric pot is a pot made of fabric. An airpot is a pot with funnel shaped holes on the sides. In a normal pot, the roots will grow until they hit the side wall of the pot, then the roots will continue growing in circles around the circumference of the pot. In a fabric pot, the root will grow into the fabric wall, then dry out and the tip of the root will die. It automatically prunes the root when they get to the wall. This causes the root to grow more branches. An airpot has funnel shaped holes on the side of the pot. The funnel shape directs the root toward a hole in the side of the pot, where the root tip will dry out and be air pruned. You can google for pictures.

[@stiaininbeglan3844]

It's probably because of how fast they dry out, especially if you have them outside.

[@AbsentWithoutLeaving]

@@u2bst1nks - I've never heard of fabric pots, and I'm intrigued, but my first thought would be that mold would be a problem - not so?

[@isaacdemian3042]

Hey man, I just found your channel and let me say something, it's a refreshing experience to see your videos. There's something unique in the way you talk and make videos about plants that I dont usually see on typical videos of this kind. Congratulations and thank you for all your advices.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Great stuff 👍. Thanks for the feedback

[@briankleinschmidt3664]

This is a nice analogy for the physicists. As a wave function approaches 0, it reaches a division by 0 error. It's growth is cut off and becomes empty space for new growth to form. You don't want to write a decaying wave function with this life, or this will happen to it. Write a growing wave function in this life, and it's growth will never be cut off. Everything we think and do fills the void of time. This time void is also called the soul. Fill your time void with good things that grow, not rotten things that decay. This is not advice, brothers. This is a dire warning.

[@justineifeagwu5455]

This is eye-opening and most helpful advice for my plant care. Thanks a lot and Remain Blessed

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thank you 😊

[@metsl1870]

Makes perfect sense...continually purchasing pots can be expensive and space is a major factor as well...good advice...thanks.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

You bet!

[@teresathayn5170]

Jeez, I hope this works! My ficus tree, now seven feet tall from a cutting, is so root bound!! My peace lily is blooming with 14 blooms at 5 ft tall, and also root bound!! The plants are taking over! Ahhhh!!! ❤️. TY!

[@carmelrankin9362]

You really know about plants, and you explain every thing so clearly. Thank you.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thank you 😊

[@KitOfTheWeirdWoods]

I know very little about plants, and I think you've just told me what has happened all my plants so far. They were rootbound, and I guess I must have over watered them. Now I know what to do if this happens again. Thank you so much!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

My pleasure 😊

[@allyanora]

I was skeptical at first, but had to try it. I got two monstera deliciosa repotted this way, also two ficuses shiveriana, and I must say, I am utterly shocked. Within two weeks of cutting and repotting, all 4 plants gave me new growths, much bigger than the leaves under them, and they seem to thrive better than before. Still can't believe it, I have to try with other plant specimens, this method seemed so invasive at first, but as I see, it quite works o_O

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Spread the word (and video) my friend 😁

[@allyanora]

@@SheffieldMadePlants I just did, hope it helps other people too

[@dieselmum1]

I've watched Portuguese farmers moving ancient olive trees to new premises and they do the same. These old trees need to have a root clippping to be moved and the football of roors is miniscule for moving. The tree grows really well after this amputation.

[@user-vk7cp1op9p]

Well argued! I never understood before about this dark art. I am one who kept fine friends for years, until I had no way to provide a larger pot. Sadly, these plants went on to plant heaven. I had no idea that if I had made that journey, ... into the dark arts, ... I might have saved my friends. Scary, but logical, I understand your argument. Thank you for your insight, presented so factually. It helps those of us stuck at the boundary of dark arts.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

It’s well worth practising!

[@simplejoys1903]

I've been unconsciously been doing that on my plants when repotting. After a few weeks, they look much better and grows more.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Great 👍

[@kylemklym]

Worked in a commercial greenhouse for almost ten years as a grower. We would rip roots up a lot when transplanting. This video makes me feel like I'm back there again.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

😁

[@MythicStealth]

I just did this to my overgrown Aloe (it's the only plant I own right now) I have a bunch outdoors in the desert & they thrive when I cut the long roots, and re-plant them. I've had the starter plant of this aloe since 1994! They just keep growing.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Neat!

[@LAWandCoach]

I just did the root pruning a few weeks ago with my spearmint. I can tell the difference already and I am now going to do more tomorrow. Thanks for the encouragement. Love the video, thanks for the smiles.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Good stuff

[@LaSnob711]

Great advice! My first plant was a yucca and I bought it in Ikea same time as my bed 😊 I've had it for almost 10 years now and since it's gotten very big I stopped repotting it so it wouldn't grow even more. So I will definitely cut the roots like you suggested and put it back in the pot. I've grown quite a collection since, i have close to 30 plants or as some call it - a jungle.😅 Thank you!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Nice 👌

[@funnyfarm5555]

One thing to keep in mind is that some plants like to be watered from the top and some like to get their water from the bottom up. Determine which way your plant likes to get its water for better plants. I grow African violets and they like to get their water from the bottom up so the easiest way to accomplish this is to get a piece of synthetic(cotton will rot) yarn and when you repot, poke yarn out bottom of pot and bring yarn up though the soil (pencil works great for making a tunnel) close to the top of the soil. The synthetic yarn will wick the water up through the soil and you will have great African violets. Make sure you use a fertilizer that is rated for your plant. Also in the winter, cut back on the water or you'll get root rot. I learned a long time ago to square cut a root bound plant when transplanting from a round pot, but your method of 1/3 off the bottom is intriguing, I'll have to give it a try.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks for sharing 👍

[@toddmontgomery9]

If you’re putting a plant in the ground, you don’t necessarily need to reduce the roots. Rather than chopping them off like this (which could cause shock), you should just tease the roots apart before planting. You can make a few cuts through denser parts, but rather than cutting part of the roots off, you’re separating some of the roots from each other

[@reysquadron7820]

I've always done this loosen the root/pot dirt and if there is the ring of roots or close to it at the bottom i def tear and loosen that up cuz usually by then the plant is either started to wither or the store cut a bunch of growth back (i love clearance plant shopping and rescue). I've always had good success with this, picking the right lighting conditions for certain plants on the other hand... Still working on it. Looking at you, begonias.

[@ericaf.e.5255]

I love your sense of humor... sexy roots... medical procedures... and how the small print was actually a real warning when you slow it down (as opposed to gibberish)🤣🤣🤣

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Glad you liked it 😁

[@crystallbell]

🤯 I’m a newbie, but very passionate plant lover and this info is very helpful!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thank you 😊

[@enginesllc9877]

I'd like to see a scientific comparison. 1. Cut roots vs 2. Bigger pot vs 3. Just washing the roots off and replacing the soil vs 4. Slow fertilization w' covered pots to reduce water loss

[@Keeki549]

🤓

[@rayr4320]

I like a person that thinks analytically. What would be your endpoint for comparing the groups? If the roots are girded (spiral around plant) they do become a problem for the plant for several reasons. So cutting them away will help the plant. Simply placing them in a large pot will not eliminate girded roots. IF you give a plant severe root pruning, it may be wise to also prune some leaves, if it has a big canopy.

[@enginesllc9877]

@@rayr4320 Back in the 70's I had a bachelor apartment with about 45 different plants in it, including several in vermiculite hydroponics with timed VHO lighting and 5% boosted CO2. I had a pal give me a big giant manilla envelope with printouts from the University of Illinois Ag department that had all kinds of notes in the margins about ramping up the lighting and shorter light cycles, temperature and colchicine as a growth hormone, hybrids and all kinds of leading edge stuff. Every party I went to, I would get cuttings, pick up chicks and grafted every kind of odd plant together. Hydroponics really gave me a perspective on nutrients being soaked into root systems. Everything grew at a greater rate using chemicals pumped into the roots w' no dirt or natural lighting, with a couple of plants growing as much as 2" per day. A pal was raising the lights on some sunflowers when he broke about 6' feet off a couple. He didn't know what to do so he just jammed it into the vermiculite. A 6' stalk of sunflower lived and showed no ill health effects from the amputation. To me, these experiences suggest that root systems are way oversized to deal with what naturally may be lousy soil quality with little nutrition. Grafting is basically gluing a stick with a dinky leaf and Rootone onto another plant and miraculously they live. No roots at all. Slicing off a bunch of roots resulting in a significant increase in growth rate would hint at either a high energy cost in maintaining the roots, or an inefficiency in the pumping of nutrients up through the plant which is unlikely in the evidentiary shade of a Sequoia tree. Maybe the skin of the roots reduce water loss in trade for reduced nutrition going in? Ray, maybe if you abraded the roots for even greater surface area instead of cutting them off, you could get even greater growth rates? If you get a patent, I want 10% of the gross right off the top. Grafting is basically gluing a stick with a leaf onto another plant and miraculously they live. I know this. Talking to Naperville North Central college girls about grafting my house plants onto their house plants is the surest way of getting phone numbers I have ever found.

[@harrycolon5301]

​👍

[@cIeetz]

toxic@@Keeki549

[@user-sc3uc3gr5q]

I took your advice and went nuts with the bread knife on all my indoor and outdoor plants . WOW!!! They were so badly chocked . After a week they are loving life and how very satisfying it was . Thank You funny man 😊😊

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Great stuff 👍

[@pfefferle74]

Plants are incredibly resilient. I've watched trees being cut back in a way that I believed to be their death sentence and they just grew back fuller and stronger. Plant life always finds a way.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Amen to that!

[@CrystalKrotky-wo1ff]

I’m very new to Q & A here on KZbin.. hopefully someone reads this & can answer my question :-) I have irises that have been growing for about 15 years, the roots are literally creeping up and over the brick border that surrounds my flower garden. What do I do to separate all the little babies? All I’ve been doing is just trying to throw some new soil on top of the creeping root's. I know.. no Bueno., but I’m afraid to attempt what my gut is telling me to do. Please help me & my Irises 🙏

[@talulatree5297]

​@@CrystalKrotky-wo1ffI think you must dig some out and start a new garden or give some away. My friend just gave me 2 huge clumps. I've now got them planted in my yard. Just tell them what you are about to do beforehand.

[@tylerbrown4171]

So glad I came across this video in my late night rabbit hole KZbin binge sesh! I've been dreading the task of taking out two large pittosporums from their pots, that are clearly in need of something new. I was going to plant them in the garden, and spend the better part of a day digging two large holes, but now - I'll just give them a root ball overhaul! Huzzah! Thanks for taking the time to make this video :)

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Glad you found it useful 👍

[@BrennanStruif]

He basically just described the practice of bonsai. I actually cut pine roots in half in early re-potting season with a saw. They end up fine and it gets rid of the tap root.

[@tammyd.970]

I didn't think i needed to watch this, but yes, yes i did! I hadn't thought hard enough about it and of course that is why my chili plants look sad all the time! They need more freedom, either in a larger pot/outside, or relief from the burden of those dang super roots. Thank you!!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks for watching 😁

[@dearyvettetn4489]

I would have thought this was insane to do to a plant until I learned to care for a bonsai. Root trimming is part of the deal and done right, it doesn’t hurt the plant.

[@petermarsh4993]

Dear Mr Greenthumb: I’ve done this for years with my pot-bound plants prior to re-potting. Good to see someone else developing the same idea. Regarding the issue of pot size: I buy huge pots out of plastic like a nursery would use. That allows for years between re-potting. Cheers

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Great stuff 👍

[@5688gamble]

I pretty aggressovely pruned both roots and leaves (even a few branches) from a jade plant last winter, I left only a few leaves on the top and the roots were pretty bare. As I'd expect, given it's phenomenal ability to bounce back, it is now putting on a lot of new growth, new branches are emerging to fill out the canopy and the leaves have dwarfed- this is exactly what I wanted it to do as I allowed the trunk to get pretty chunky, hoping to create a more proportioned tree like appearance- like an indoor bonsai! Actually a lot of plants will survive pretty extensive removal of both roots and ariel structures!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Great stuff 👍

[@endoroboto]

Learned this from planted aquariums, there's pretty much no plant I won't trim the root tips off of before planting in aquarium, makes sense to do the same for terrestrial plants.

[@mattsanchez4893]

Yet another piece of advice Iwish I’d know about 40 years ago . Appreciate the humor as well!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Glad you found it useful 👍

[@valerierogers9609]

Great minimalist approach. Instead of buying larger pots,make it fit into its old small pot 🪴 I've been playing with plants for 60 years and never tried this 😊

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Great stuff 👍

[@mweatherby2968]

It's good to see I'm not the only one who does this. I even do it to my Irises outside when transplanting in early fall. It really does help the plant to grow all the way around. New root, new vibrance in color and growth of plant. Thank you for sharing this, now I can show my friends that this is a good way.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

You bet!

[@julierobertson148]

I feel sick. I had a peace lily for years. I repotted until it just got too big for my house so I let it die of natural causes. Now I realize I probably could have kept it simply by root pruning. A hard but valuable lesson. Thank you.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Oh no! Like you say, we live and learn

[@bakerteacher2905]

9 out of 10 times, the plants I buy from the nursery are root bound! I started pruning the roots before re-potting and the results were a happy, beautiful plant. Thank you!!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Nice one!

[@tonii2019]

Came for the root pruning but stayed for the small print. 😆👌

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

😂😂😂

[@ZoeAlecxis]

With very rootbound plants I often just cut the root mass in half. I’d check for rotting roots a few weeks later but so far it never harmed the plant. Gardeners often have recommended to prune one third of the roots for years.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks

[@GetFitEatRight]

My wife seems to inflect endless pain on my rosemary bush. She tips it over once a year and I like nice pots. It also gets a root and top cut every fall so it can fit indoors.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

👍👍👍

[@Wakeupandsniffthecoffee]

I just did this. A neighbor tossed out some nice large plants with their pots. At almost $40 per pot, I made out with just the pots. When I pulled out the plants, I found them not only root bound, but had drowned too. They either bought them for the house like this or replanted, but either way, there were no holes in the pots. Once it became root bound and was sitting in this oxygen depleted water, they literally drowned. I used to do aquaponics and used the fill and drain method that had the water slowly raise as it filled and then it would rapidly drain into the fish side of the system. This allowed the water to circulate and come back to the plant with nutrients and oxygenated water. The plants love to be sweetened with oxygen and nutrients and then sit for an extended time as the water slowly rose. On average the process ran about 15 to 20 minutes and three quarters of that time the roots were wet, but not under water. They say fully understand water for about five minutes in each cycle.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Do you were able to successfully rescue them?

[@zmalqp555]

Adding seaweed extract to water helps prevent the plant from shocking. My go to when repotting.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks for the tip 👍

[@juanitagordon5064]

You are so funny you should’ve been a comedian, but nevertheless, you do give good information when it comes to plants.thank you for the information and the laughter.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Wow, thank you

[@nunyobinnis1228]

I have an Algerian ivy plant that I've had since the 1990s and I've been pruning its roots every 2 years or so and every time I do it explodes with new growth. So far you're the only plant KZbin channel I've found that advocates for root pruning. I don't think I'd do it for peperomias or hoyas but for every other plant, it's fine.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Cool nice one 👍

[@SunsetGuitarist]

OMG I have to say one of the things that I love about your voice is that it is an English accent with a lisp (not pronouncing the th). It makes me so happy. I might have to record myself doing a video honoring you using your English accent and a lisp. By the way I am a hundred percent American English so this is just music to my ears. Yes your voice is music to my ears it makes me smile everytime

[@SunsetGuitarist]

And I shared this video with my mom and I had a great conversation talking about root pruning houseplants

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

😂 thanks. I’ve never been good with th and I’ve been reminded lots of times from folks watching this video 😅

[@SunsetGuitarist]

@@SheffieldMadePlants you are amazing my man keep it real and keep it going

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

😁

[@MaryseMeunier]

I did it to my orchid. I just didn't had another pot and I wanted to keep it about the same size. It worked beautifully. It even grew more flowers than before. 😊

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Nice!

[@AT-bb2gq]

I do this with outside potted plants every year, sometimes untangle them too. Have not tried on houseplants but will give it a try.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

👍👍👍

[@graceydavis429]

Got halfway through your vid at 8.30 am, now 11.12, just finished sawing off one third roots of most plants in house and garden pots, I’m now suntanned and happy. Thank you 🙏 - you had better be right 🤣 or I’ll be back 😉

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

It'll work grand 😁

[@irishhi8333]

A friend turned me on to root trimming back in the 70s. He kept a 'string of pearls' plant in a small tea cup and regularly cut back the roots. I have done this with many of my plants since I have space limit issues. 🤓🖖🏾

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

👌

[@gewgulkansuhckitt9086]

If you do this with trees, just be careful that it's not a tree with a tap root. If it is, do enough root surgery to unwrap the tap root if you can. You can cut the side roots coming off the tap root mercilessly, but make sure that the very tip of the tap root survives. If you plant it in the ground, use post hole diggers to get a deep enough hole. Maybe loosely tie the tap root to a slender tree branch using a natural fiber like cotton or hemp to keep the root from bunching up and not going down in the hole. The branch and natural fiber will rot away underground. Using fibers that won't rot means that the fiber might cut into the root as its diameter increases.

[@fazeinhaze2687]

Thank you, thank you! I usually grow fruit trees in pot before transplant them to the ground. Often the roots have already circled around the pot. I did not know how to straighten the tape root. I know what to do now. Thank you for the great tip.❤

[@SunsetGuitarist]

I love this video so much. It not only changed my life but I shared it with my mom and all of our house plans are better for it.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thank you 😊

[@RavenVargas27]

I did that to mine got rewarded with a ton of new growth during re potting also added a bit of cinnamon powder to the soil mix it kills fungus etc BOOM grew even more. Love my plant babies

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Great stuff 👍

[@euricadenette5922]

I need to do this to my plants now. I have about fourteen plants right now, and one of them I've had since '98. Thank you for the video, it is most helpful 🪴🍀🌿🌺

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

You’ve got this ✊

[@evannanm1701]

There's this monstera that I bought with my friend at the flower market some years ago which I really treasure, and before I repotted it, it got really root bound to the point that I have to check and trim the roots from time to time to keep the minor root rot from spreading. I do leave it for a few months every time before I prune it again, and I can guarantee it does thrive soon after I do it. Cutting 1/3 might give me a panick attack so maybe I'll try 1/5 or something in autumn because it's already over 30°C in my hometown I'm a bit worried about the shock recovery. Thanks for the tip!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks for watching 😁

[@SparkleInMoonlight]

I was shocked by the radical idea... but it simply makes sense. For large plants that can´t be repotted to larger pots anymore, I think I´ll have to do it one day too. I´d only give priority to pruning to older roots and cut those. My experience with plants often proved me that there is no radical idea if the situation requires it and it will help the plant. Thank you for talking about it

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks for watching 😁

[@NoName-ub5to]

Yep! I've learned that root pruning is the secret to bonsai, too. That's how they keep a plant in a shallow pot for so many years. 😊

[@Adam-wt5id]

As someone who learned bonsai from a really old man who’s wife taught him bonsai i just figured this was normal for all potted plants. Bonsai pots are particularly shallow and require really intensive pruning but the plants are very often moved into slightly larger pots when not’s being shown off. I’ve always seen my plants grow really hardy after a pruning before spring. If bonsai really interests you there is a very knowledgeable man named Nigel Saunders who has some of the nicest plants ive seen and he shares them with the world on his channel.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks for the tip

[@LazloWoodbine]

Standard maintenance technique ...excellent for maintaining mother plants.

[@dougsholly9323]

This is interesting because in every plant I've ever replanted, whether they are root bound or not, I would always break off the bottom layer of roots. I feel like someone older than me taught me to do that for the very reasons you describe. I don't do potted plants much, but vegetable plants of shrubs I get always get this treatment when I replant them. Cheers!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Great Thank you 😊

[@lisabb5624]

Me too my mom taught me to do that :)

[@michaelward402]

Good video, I knew that, from watching a horticulturist, that cutting roots, far from hurting the plant aided its growth when transplanting into the garden, but this is the first time I have see root pruning, then re-pot. Thanks Transplanting into a garden a cross cut upwards into the root ball 1/3 of the way up, aided the roots to grow better, given in a pot they run around in a circle. The horticulturist was spot on.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks!

[@alinedeleandro123]

I have always been afraid to prune the roots of my pot-bound plants. Well, thanks for showing us that we are not committing a crime. So tomorrow I'm going to get my knife out & going on the rampage in my garden! Thank you so much for doing this video.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

You bet!

[@ninasuculentasymas]

Hello from Puerto Rico!!! I root pruned my Syngonium 1/3. It grew back beautiful!!! Proved theory!!! 🙋🏼‍♀️💚🐩🪴

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Wonderful!

[@plantypops6062]

I would say although the procedure hurt at first it was was very worthwhile. As a walking, talking living plant, my sprout has never looked greener and my tickly bush is so beautiful now! My plant relatives also seem to have benefited from having their roots pruned 🌱🌱

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Thanks for watching 😁

[@TheRobotoon]

I like ya cut G

[@vimalneha]

This will save my plants!. Thanks for sharing.

[@robertdecuir5748]

Did this last year on a lackluster Golden Pothos plant. Laid in new potting soil, watered well and placed the upper half back into the container. Within 3-4 weeks it looked amazing and it looks even better 6 months later!

[@stephanygates6491]

Great timing! I’m about to put my 7 year old orange tree outside for the season, 5 years in the present pot. You give me confidence to tackle the job after hardening off.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

You’ve got this ✊

[@traceybaldwin6509]

We just repotted our 10 yr old, 7 foot tall calamondin orange tree into a bigger pot. This will have to be its last upgrade because we can’t find one bigger and it’s almost too big to handle now. I was wondering what will happen to it as it was quite root-bound when we transferred it. I guess in a few yrs we should un-pot and root prune. Glad KZbin suggested this video. Thanks.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

@@traceybaldwin6509 so am I! Thanks for watching 😁

[@heidimacarthur7205]

This is a great idea. I’m afraid to do it but I think it would work. I have some plants that are 35-40 years old. I usually add soil to the top especially if there is no way for me to take the plant out of the pot. In those cases my plants are too massive. I do repot my smaller plants into bigger pots.

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

It’s worth doing for older plants. They’ll be better for it

[@merannicuill6435]

I have some plants that age too, and don't worry! Your plants will love getting rid of all that old growth. Think of it as trimming (if they were human) their toenails that haven't been trimmed in 20 yrs! Do remember to also trim off any dead stems, leaves too. I don't use plant food right away (shock from the trim is enough. Wait a week before that.) Look for bugs while you're at it. My plants are doing very well despite being moved from California to Georgia to Colorado, then to Oregon over all those years.

[@GregEaston]

I'm new to plants and so new to plant videos. I stumbled on you through this video and now I'm a fan!

[@SheffieldMadePlants]

Awesome thanks for tuning in

[@tobyfitzpatrick565]

It's spring here in CA and I reluctantly did this to one of my plants about 3 weeks ago. It is thriving! I'm so amazed! :D