Horticultural Vandalism or not

Today I decided to repot my Acers well the first of them anyway. As I grow them in containers I need to do this most years and it is a bit of a Kamikaze task.

I should have taken photos but didnt. So :

• First pull tree out of pot
• Next get a pruning saw and cut off between 1 and 2 inches of the root base
• Next trim down the sides
• Pop some fresh ericaceous compost in the bottom to replace the sawn off bit
• Put more compost round the edges and pack into the gaps
• Give it a good drink to wash the compost into all the nooks and crannies
• Then recycle the mat of roots removed - its like a fibrous carpet so I cut it up and use it as a sort of protective layer in the top of my clematis pots. It works a treat.