Do your plants have plenty of nutrition, water and light but not performing as well as you had hoped? You might want to think of root pruning, a process that consists of cutting the roots of the plant to promote new root growth and flowering.
Root pruning works by forcing the plant to grow new roots that can absorb nutrients more efficiently. As the plant grows bigger the root ball grows bigger as well. As the root ball grows it becomes less able to absorb water and nutrients.
The technique of pruning your roots is very simple. Simply dig a trench around your plant and sever the roots with a shovel. The trench should be about one foot away from the stem for every 1” of the diameter of the plants stem. For example: If your tree or shrub has a 2″ diameter stem, your trench should be approximately 2 feet away.
Every time a root is severed the plant produces several small roots to replace the damaged ones. Keep in mind that growing new roots will stress your plant. To reduce the stress of your plant water it regularly and only prune your roots when the plant is in a dormant state.
Root pruning can significantly increase the number of flowers on your plants. Give it a try and let me know how you made out.
