Repotting Artocarpus with a taproot in ground

Q: The Chempedak I bought from you almost 3 years ago which I had repotted twice has a thick taproot growing in the ground, which I noticed this past winter. I was going to repot into the largest size pot almost half of a 55-g rain barrel. Can I try to dig/save as much of the taproot before repotting, will it die if I had to shorten/cut what I can't dig out completely? I hate to put it in the ground for fear it may not make it when we have severe cold/long hours of frost. I live in west Cocoa, Central Florida, 9b.

A: Yes, you can repot the tree and keep it in reasonable size container after trimming the roots. Most of the tropical trees (fruit trees not an exception) can be grown in containers even if in Nature they grow into vigorous large trees. The key is, trim the roots every time you transplant it. The process is similar to trimming branches and both don't hurt the plant as long as done right and moderately. You should trim the overgrown and spreading limbs at the same time. You may trim as much as 10% off root system at the time of repotting. This will cause the root system to branch out and become fuller, similar to branches, which is a good thing. If a tree grows a taproot like in your case, it is not necessary to try "saving" and digging out the whole root that may go down for a few feet. You may cut it off without major damage to the tree since the rest of its root system will continue to support the plant metabolism. Just keep in mind that the plant will be stressed for a while - so put it in bright shade and water regularly until signs of stress go away (wilted or dropping leaves may occur). This particular type of tree - Artocarpus - is pretty strong and vigorous so the stress should be minimal.

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Featured Plant. Mucuna nigricans - Black Jade Vine

Mucuna nigricans - Black Jade Vine

Black Jade Vine is a real gem of a rare plant collection and a conversation piece when in bloom. The flower color is beyond description, as most of the Jade vines. This spectacular woody climber is closely related to red Jade vine (Mucuna bennettii). Branches sparsely velvet-hairy, and blackish purple flowers hanging in racemes. Drooping flower-cluster-stalks are up to 1 ft long and 6"in diameter! The blooms appear closely pushed together in grape-like clusters. Flowers are clustered in threes; each cluster supported by a deciduous bract. It is a very vigorous woody tree creeper - during warmer weather it can grow 2 feet or more a week. Cold hardy in Florida to at least zone 9b.
This plant is a must for every rare tropical plant collection. It is easy to grow and doesn't require much care once established other than regular watering. In colder climates with a hard freeze, this spectacular vine can be grown in a large container providing a strong trellis support.

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Christmas Special - Lolita Cherry

This amazing cherry is by far our favorite. Lolita is an exclusive variety of Black fruited Surinam Cherry that starts as red and turns black as it ripens. The fruit has exceptional flavor and has no aftertaste, unlike regular Surinam cherries. It is large, 1-1.5"size, super sweet when fully ripe. The tree is a dwarf statue, 5-6 ft or smaller if pruned. It is upright and freely branching. Plants start flowering and fruiting in 1 gal container. The plants we have in stock are ready to fruit in 2019.
These cherries are cold hardy and can take short periods of frost. Once established, the plant can withstand upper 20's without damage.

Lolita is very hard-to-find, and we have limited quantities, hurry up!

To expedite your order for Christmas, request rush shipping in order notes, contact us

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Looking for the rarest plant? This is the one!

Stifftia chrysantha - Pompom, Rabo-de-Cutia

Looking for the rarest plant? This is the one!
Stifftia chrysantha is an exotic, rare flowering small tree with spectacular flowers, endemic to the vast tropical savanna ecoregion of Brazil called Cerrado. It grows into a bushy, attractive tree between 8 and 15 ft tall and starts flowering within 1.5 - 2.5 years from seed. It is a very rewarding plant that blooms 9 months out of the year, starting in Winter with great intensity during July-September, with each flower staying on the plant for several weeks. Seeds ripen from September through November.
The tree belongs to Aster family (Compositae) and has nothing to do with Powderpuffs which are from Bean (Fabaceae) family. The flower has 30 to 40 green, imbricated scales with short hairs, and actinomorphic corollas are orange below and darker above. After flowering, the inflorescence blows apart, which would scatter seeds. The dried center remaining is very attractive, like a small dried flower, and lasts for many months.
Stifftia can be grown in full sun to partial shade and is relatively cold tolerant, can take short cold spells.
The plant doesn't like wet feet and heavy/soggy soils; requires very well drained, acidic soil. We strongly recommend to use our professional soilless mix. Let soil slightly dry between waterings. It can be grown in full sun to partial shade and is relatively cold tolerant, can take short cold spells. If grown in a pot, try to keep the container shaded because roots don't like to be overheated. The plant needs monthly applications of slow release fertilizer as well as extra iron - use micro-nutrients to keep leaves green and healthy.
See more pictures of this beauty.

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