Question
My tree is in a pot approx. 12"x10". It has become pot bound and I am wondering if I can prune back both the roots and branches?It is 60" tall and has 4 main leaders and a number of other smaller leaders coming out of the earth.I t is in a clay pot. Jim

Answer
Jim,

Yes,you can prune off about 30% of the top and 30% of the roots each year. Never put the tree in a larger pot unless you want it to grow larger than it is right now.

You can either prune it topiary style so it ends up looking like a ball after a few years or you can prune entire branckes or leaders off to maintain a tree shape.

For the roots you can remove the tree from the pot and cut about 1 1/2 inches off the bottom of the rootball then off of the sides all the way around. Then put fresh soil with extra perlite mixed in it in the bottom of the pot, insert the tree, and put more soil mix around the sides of the tree. Firm the soil around the tree and place it in the sunniest location in the house. The more sun it gets the less likely it will go into shock because of the drastic pruning. Never alow the tree to sit with a lot of water in the drain tray. If it will not evaporate in 6 hours empty the drain tray and do not water the tree again until the top 3 inches of soil is very dry. dry. Good luck.  

Darlene