Hi Carol. I'm joining you here with questions. I would think there would be different mixes for different plants, no?

Yes, I was reading another thread here....and it depends on whether your plant likes more water or less water. If it's more water like a boggy plant, then you add more peat...I think.

Hopefully someone will answer us soon. :)

Carol

The 5-1-1 mix should work very well for roses (5 parts bark fines, 1 part peat, 1 part perlite). Although moderately durable, it will begin to breakdown over time and will need to be refreshed periodically, if not completely replaced. If you do not up-size your containers, you will also need to root prune when you replace/refresh the soil.

In general, repotting and root pruning of trees and shrubs are done while the plant is dormant, so you minimize root disturbance to an actively growing plant. In your very chilly climate, I'd do so right before you are ready to start moving your pots from the garage to outdoor but before they really start to leaf out.

Do you think I could repot every 10 years, 5 years, 3 years?? I know you don't really know...but just a best guess?

My dog is whining...I'll get back to this later. :)

Carol

How can one trim roots without disturbing the soil around it? I thought it would be best to take all the soil off.
Carol