Digging planting holes near established plants.
josusa47
Posts: 3,532
So, you want to plant something new next to something that's been there a while. Does anyone have any special tricks for avoiding damage to the roots of the senior plant?
Sometimes, when digging a planting hole, or uprooting a tenacious weed near a shrub, I accidentally dig out some root which remains attached to the plant, and somehow it is difficult to make it go back where it was and bury it - it persists in sticking out. I usually take the secateurs to it, and I haven't killed anything yet. But I wonder if it's better to do that, or bury it the best I can. If the latter, is it best to cut off any bits that insist on poking through the surface, or leave them be?
Sometimes, when digging a planting hole, or uprooting a tenacious weed near a shrub, I accidentally dig out some root which remains attached to the plant, and somehow it is difficult to make it go back where it was and bury it - it persists in sticking out. I usually take the secateurs to it, and I haven't killed anything yet. But I wonder if it's better to do that, or bury it the best I can. If the latter, is it best to cut off any bits that insist on poking through the surface, or leave them be?
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I have a similar problem at the moment with various tree roots - the border is so infested with them that it is difficult to make a new planting hole without bringing roots to the surface.
If it is difficult to accommodate the roots you have brought to the surface, snipping off is the best option - leaving them on the surface will simply mean that they will gradually die back anyway.