Planting out potgrown plants.

josusa47

I expect most of you know this, but I didn't, so I'm sharing it in case it helps someone else.  The books all tell you to "tease out some of the roots from the rootball", but they don't tell you how.  I've spent my life picking at them with my fingers, and succeeded only in breaking them off. This week, an angel whispered in my ear:. "try using the fork", and it worked a treat.  I pushed my handfork into the side of the rootball, about halfway down, and wiggled it downwards, and the bottom of the rootball broke apart with all the roots dangling intact.  Was I chuffed!

Dovefromabove

@josusa47 ... good tip, and it'll save what I have left of my fingernails .... or it would if I knew what had happened to either or both of my handforks 

Lyn

I use a blunt ended skewer, very carefully. 

Bright star

I use the pointy end of a plant label 

hogweed

I just use my hands. No need to be too delicate with this especially if you are dealing with plants in 2l+ pots. 

Guernsey Donkey2

I have always teased out the roots but never as successfully as you describe above josusa, thanks for the tip.  What annoys me is that most often on gardening programmes they don't bother to do this - preferring to remove plant from pot and plant without untangling the roots in any way. I was beginning to think that I was doing it wrong!