What to do with a severely rootbound plant

[PinkPetalPolygon]

Hey there, another question!

I was recently gifted a rosemary plant that is the most root bound thing I have ever seen.

I tried to answer myself to google it, and I kind of found the answer, err I got some suggestive diagrams on what to do

BUT

The rosemary is so root bound it is solid where the roots are? I tried cutting it open but it didn't really do it? I felt like I was cutting at bark with no dirt anywhere? I wonder if the rosemary is even alive??? Sorry I can't post pictures!

Okay I just remembered I can cut the wood to see if it's green, hehe. It's green! I'm pretty sure it's alive.

Anyway. As I was saying (I went outside again and attempted to do it on my own but still feel really unsure? So here I am.)

When I attempted to "loosen the rootball" it was one hunk and when I tried to cut it free it was like cutting into a fibrous mass without dirt and I didn't feel like I could ... do anything like separate it from dirt or untangle it without really ripping it up

So I'm asking

If I should rip it up and untangle it or just leave it in a solid chunk?

I plan on putting it into the ground.

(Generally speaking I know you're supposed to untangle and fluff up the roots a little bit, or I can see the logic in that)

But what should you do if there's no dirt and it's reeeeallly solid roots and nothing else?

(P.S. I'll be sure to tell my friend to check to see if plants are root bound before she buys them, hehe! These plants are so root bound the roots on the outside are all brown! Hopefully they can be saved? If not, lessons learned.)

They look really nice to be so root bound actually! I have hope!

[Asica]

I think, I would just put the plant as it is. It cross my mind to soak the roots too first, but I am not sure if this is a good idea.

[imafan26]

Rosemary does get root bound in pots. In the ground, once it is established, it does not need much care. I would not try to break up the center mass. I score smaller roots but I don't try to cut the large ones. Soak the root ball in a bucket of water until the bubbles stop to make sure it is throughly moistened and just pot it up into a larger pot.

[applestar]

Some people say slice (saw) the bottom off of the solid mass (this is actually a significant amount because roots tend to wrap around on the bottom and then grow up the sides of the pot

Some people say lay the rootball on its side and using a serrated knife, cut vertical "scores" -- depending in the size of the plant, 2 places opposite, 4 places 12,3,6,9 o'clock, 6 places 12, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 o'clock. Depth of the score I think was 1-2 roots deep.

When I had a totally root bound Rosemary -- Christmas "tree" hostess gift, uppotting attempted after being nursed along for the winter. There were 4 plants in the pot. I ended up doing the 2nd method in 4 places and in the process one or maybe two of the four separated out so I was able to pot that one or two up on their own. I remember two of them were definitely solidly tangled and couldn't be separated.

[PinkPetalPolygon]

When I had a totally root bound Rosemary -- Christmas "tree" hostess gift, uppotting attempted after being nursed along for the winter. There were 4 plants in the pot. I ended up doing the 2nd method in 4 places and in the process one or maybe two of the four separated out so I was able to pot that one or two up on their own. I remember two of them were definitely solidly tangled and couldn't be separated.

This is what it is.

It didn't even occur to me to see if it was one plant or not. It *seemed,* like one plant.

Now I can see it in the ground from my kitchen window, it is frickin' adorable. Worst case senario it is a drying rosemary tree I'll tend to later as opposed to a live one. Not really a problem.

Secretly, last year a rosemary tree tricked me.

I brought it to my DH and was like, "I want this one!"

And I did have a Christmas tree in my hand! I did... it was.

But he was like, "Isn't that a rosemary plant?"
And I smelled it. All confused?

I hadn't realized it WAS rosemary plant, but I had already decided I wanted it as my Christmas tree regardless.

But we went traditional anyway. Now I have my solstice-celebration-tree-shaped rosemary. (If it dies can you tell I'm in line for another?)

I went outside to see if it was visibly more than one plant. It is Beeville out there, heheh, I was in the middle of all my tomato plants in containers. But I was curious. I would have taken it back though. There was like 10 bees and I wasn't that curious. I felt like I could hear them all in the distance rumbling in the in ground vegetable garden too, and I felt like statistics as far as # of bees versus me were not in my favor and I felt silly upside taking account of rosemary stems.

I will check the other plant (we have 2 of these same rootboundy bush, the other for another location)

I might take a picture of the other one and post it here
If only to prove that rootbound isn't the end if they make it, haha.

Tha