Small potted trees

Question

I have several small potted trees that I have trimmed the roots of to keep them small. Can I still transplant them outside now? I got the trees from the Arbor Day foundation for free for filling out a survey (who could pass that up?). But when I got them as saplings, I had basically no yard at all and knew I would be moving in about five years and wanted to bring the trees with me so I planted all ten of them in separate pots.

I have had to trim the roots of a few of them to keep them small enough to fit the pot. My question is, will that fact, that I’ve trimmed the roots, cause any problem for the tree being planted outside? Will its growth be stunted? Will it grow properly and assimilate to the outdoors ok? Is there anything I need to do or can do to make the transition easier on the trees? Thank you very much. I love my little trees so much!

Answer 1

You absolutely can transplant a tree grown in a pot for several years outside and here are some great resources to get you started:

https://bit.ly/1P1Pdfr
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/transplanting-trees.htm

What trees do you have? You will just want to be sure your varieties can tolerate Ohio winters. You will also want to plant them in a spot where they get the lighting that they need and have the space that they need to grow. I would recommend a visit to https://www.gardeningknowhow.com and look up your different trees to read the care plan for each tree.

Once planted outside the roots that were once contained to the perimeter of your pot will branch out and grow.

Happy gardening!