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Repotting Ornamental Asparagus

Almost everyone has one, many of us have several. The rapidly growing plant that all too quickly fills its container and becomes pot bound. With plastic pots the walls swell and deform making it nearly impossible to get the plant out of the pot without damage.  Left too long the plant begins a slow decline to death. One way to get the plant out and successfully into a new pot with out damaging the roots follows.

Here we have an Asparagus myriocladus that has so grown into its 1 gallon plastic pot that the sides are deformed. The growth rate is slowing and the stretching of the pot, and constriction at the rim, make it necessary to cut the pot away. There is so much root mass that it is difficult to water the plant.
Photo 1, 2

Using my secateurs I started at a drainage hole at the bottom and worked my way up. After working up the first side I cut across the bottom of the pot to the center hole then to a side hole and up the other side so that the pot was halved.
Photo 3, 4

From the photo you can see that the roots are almost solid and they well fill the space. Since I am after a large specimen plant I decided not to divide the plant. If the plants roots are growing in circles in the pot they will need some pulling apart, pruning, and arranging in the new pot. Since these are growing straight down, and this Asparagus does not form woody roots they were left as I found them.

5

I decided to replant into a 3 gallon plastic pot and placed enough compost in the bottom so that the plant would be at the same depth it was originally grown. Since there tended to be more newer growth to one side of the plant I off set it a bit to place the growing point more in the center of the pot. I added enough rich compost to fill the space around the plant almost to the rim and packed it moderately with a dibble. More compost was added and packed so that the soil level roughly matched the original level.
Photo 5

To make it a bit easier to water and fertilize I tried to leave 1 to 2 inches of space above the soil. Depending on the species and weather I may add mulch later in the year and this space will contain enough to help keep excessive evaporation at bay.

The plant was given two waterings and I watched to be sure that there was good drainage. Since the plant is being grown outside but under cover I will need to rotate the pot so that even growth is encouraged. Since I chose a new pot that was not much larger than the original I expect to need to pot up to a larger size in a year or two.

*LILIACEAE : Asparagus myriocladus

* As with many plants botanical nomenclature is subject to change. I've seen this placed in its own family by some and the species reduced to a variety by others. Here it remains in the most common form of the name used.