Most often, I use wooden skewers and if necessary, dull the point just as you said. I have cheep plastic chopsticks & used them few times. If the roots are too tangled up, I gently swish plant in bowl of water. It seems to wash out most of the soil and loosens up the tangle to be able to pull/separate them gently. If soil is too hard, I use tepid water.

Bonsai growers have little rake/comb to rake the roots (two prongs or three prongs), and a single-pronged one that is actually a hook - I only know that from photos.

Few ppl here have 'fancier' techniques...I hope they post.

Rina

Ahh, EW, I see you go the Doctor/dentist route. I use those also in my wood working. Do you carefully tweeze stuff out? Are you worried about bugs and germs being absorbed by the wood and transferring stuff from plant to plant? I think that people are much cleaner and more thorough than me. This is the first time for me dealing with mealies and I did not know when I should stop. If I could leave some white tiny stuff in there . It should have been killed by the hot soapy water and the alcohol, or Should I depend on the process?

Wish I had a better root rake than this one - the prongs are too large and not close enough together. No idea where to buy them.

The tweezers are mostly used to remove rocks stuck between leaves. If I need to remove a leaf that has gone bad, they are really good for that too.

I am quite careful in cleaning all of my tools. Have a big roll of paper towels and a bottle of rubbing alcohol in the cupboard. A quick wipe of tools between plants seems to work well.

The dentist picks are perfect for removing mealy crawlers in tight spaces. Easy to stab and pull them out.

How about an afro comb for a root rake? I bet then one could cut it down to the width you would like. They come in metal , wood , plastic. I use one a metal cheap to clean my paint brushes.

eww

Amazon? - here

or maybe Lee Valley?

Gosh, I just use the disposable chopsticks I can pick up at the sushi bar or with take out Chinese food. I like the round ones with the tapered tip. Not sharp, but tapered. These were used to prop up a plant after repot, but I have also used this type to push my potting mix around the roots of the plant.

at rina and EWW, Don't mind me. I am always looking for a cheap way out. call me the bottom feeder. The roots weren't tangled, They were just together and dried a bit stuck together.

Mara. same here...I visit stores like reStore, get stuff for free on freecycle, re-cycle and re-use anything I can. I buy new tools if necessary, but not things like chopsticks - there are plenty free...

I have only recently used metal chopsticks, b/c they came free with an order. I have always liked using the wood ones b/c they break if I'm being too rough. Metal, wood or plastic, I think the big thing is that the surface is smooth so as not to abrade the roots and let rot set in.

ez

Rina. I have been known to take a stick and sharpen it in the pencil sharpener. Our trash is full of wood sticks from all our furniture making.

I use a plastic fork. Probably not the best method, but I try to be gentle.

Good idea, cm!

ez