I have a question about some plants I bought last year from Dany @ Brugmansia. A couple of them he rooted 2 cuttings in the same small pot (I assume hoping at least 1 took). I potted his plants in 2 gallon pots last year after getting them in early summer. I didn't want to risk damaging them then by trying to separate them.

The cuttings are quite close together and if I were to separate them now after a years growth I think the only thing I could do would be to take a saw and cut right down the middle and hope both have enough root mass to still grow. They both grew to about 18" by last fall.

Should I attempt that or just clip one off at the base and continue to prune it until the one takes over? What would you guys do with that? Or would having 2 plants in 1 pot be ok long term?

Any advice??

Tyler

I think you can get them apart if you bare root. It will take a while and you will need something like a root hook to comb out the roots and lots of shaking.

Air layer?

I would disturb as little of the dirt as possible except between the two plants. You might just want to take a knife and slice between both of them after taking the plant out of the pot.

Thanks for the tips.... I will give it a go while still dormant.

Tyler

Tylerj,
I second Doug, SCfigFanatic, seperating them in a water bath is the best method and it reduces root damage. Here's the simple procedure that I posted last year. http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/show_single_post?pid=1277990909&postcount=39
It would be the same procedure for the 2 gallon pot, I use a 5 gallon bucket full of water for 1 gallon pots. This procedure works 100% everytime.
Good Luck.

<Edit> Bare rooting in water damages minimal roots and provides for almost uninterrupted growth, with a loss of only 2-3 weeks if the root tips are pruned to induce branching. In a short growing season, this may mean a difference of a full season of growth as compared to cutting them apart and damaging the established roots.

Sounds good thx Pete :)

Another vote for separating in a bucket of water.  I did this when I up-potted a plant last week to get the loose mix off and it worked great.  Just gently wave the plants back and forth in the water.

I've done both... Separated by bare-rooting, and by putting the blade of a shovel between the two trees, then stomping on it. I did not have an issue either way. The Alma I split with a shovel was already in full growth mode. For a 1+ year old tree, there should not be any issues with root loss when bare-rooting the tree. You will want to do some pruning down there before repotting. I usually root prune pretty aggressively when I repot my trees.

Barerooting and then dividing will do as much if not more damage to the roots.You will lose most of the root hairs.  Cut the plants in half and maybe reduce the growth by a third. This will balance the roots and top and give you a few cuttings. I too received two in one pot from Dany last year. I immediately separated them and now have two heathy trees.

I separated several last year in 3 gallon pots in July and uppotted each to 5 gallon pots. I just sliced as carefully as I could between the trunks and hoped for the best. After a week in the shade they were as good as new and back in full sun. I was checking for signs of stress and would have top pruned if I saw any. No stress was apparent so I did not top prune. For dormant plants I would be cutting them apart so as to not disrupt the root mass. Again, no top pruning necessary. IMO

Tyler, if they both are of the same variety, don't disturb them, just up pot them and let them grow to fuse, they will act as One Unit.just give them more space. Later when they are large, you can get cuttings and get as many separate trees as you like. Go with the flow, don't fight it ;)

Cutting is going to leave an entryway for pathogens that might not cause immediate problems. In cold zones root hairs are usually killed anyway but regrow quickly with energy stored in thicker roots. Studies have shown that aside from root deformities like girdling and circling the more root mass a plant has the better it will do. Cutting down directly next to a trunk of a container tree could sever more than half of the total roots, easily if it is root bound, and there may still be more problem roots to remove after that... 

This just happened to me.  We separated 2 pots with multiple cuttings, and they are all happily growing in their new homes.  We used a water soaking, shaking, and actually had to saw a couple.  Root pruning seems to encourage more roots, so do not fear it.  As long as they are dormant this should work out fine!

Suzi

Thanks everyone for the opinions. Since I have a few to do i will try to soak and separate the first one and see how it goes.

Tyler

Hi Tylerj,
I would put an hand on the bigger one, and pull the weaker one . If it blocks, then with a knife cut what is blocking - leaving some roots to the weaker and not disturbing the bigger.
The weaker will come with less roots but will recover, and the stronger will not be disturbed at all - and that is my goal when I tare apart some stems/trees.
I did that with my "goutte d'or" and I now have 3 healthy trees .

 

Well it worked out pretty well. Out of water the roots do not want to separate very well. Under water you can work out the root knots quite easily. Just keep the water moving and slowly work at the roots. I had virtually no broken roots.. even the thin roots pulled out of the "knot" quite easily under water by working with the thicker part of the root.

This is the 2 root root balls separated in a pail afterwards.

TylerJ,
Thanks for posting the Update. Glad to see that it worked.
Don't forget to trim the root tips (ends) to remove apical dominance and induce branching once the roots start to grow.
Good Luck.