Best time to root prune?

[chauqg Member Find all posts View Profile Close chauqg]

Friend has 7' root bound tree. When is best time to prune roots and how much to remove. Current root ball is 3 1/2' deep x 2' wide. Trunk is 1½ x 2'. There are no branches below 4' there are 7-8 long 30" branches. Also how far to prune back. Thanks.

[COGardener Fig Phenom Find all posts View Profile Close COGardener]

That is a big pot, 3.5' X 2'..... Nice!!!

[Harborseal Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Harborseal]

As long as it's dormant you can do it any time. Balance what you remove from the top with what you remove from the bottom.

[AscPete Fig Phenom Find all posts View Profile Close AscPete]

IMO, the best time is late winter early spring, before bud break.
The reason is that the tree would be able to use any stored reserves in the roots to help it through winter dormancy. The extra moisture and available nutrients will also fuel the new spring growth.

The usual recommendation is to prune 1/3 maximum and to prune the canopy to balance the pruned roots. If reusing the same sized 24" wide by 42" deep container, I would prune at least ~ 12 inches off the bottom and 3 inches off the sides. Good Luck.

[Rafaelissimmo Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Rafaelissimmo]

Late Feb. in the Northeast.