I'm new to gardening and I'm loving it, so much to learn and know. I recently bought a barbados cherry tree that shared the same pot with a miracle fruit tree. I thought, what a great idea.

When I got home and thought about it, I figured out that it wasn't a good idea to keep these 2 plants together in 1 small pot. I wanted to separate them. So I asked around and learned that it isn't impossible to separate them, with some risk. So I decided to separate them. Oh my goodness what a mess! There were roots everywhere, but needless to say I continued. I successfully separated them, lost some roots here and there. I got them each into their own pot.

Any tips as to what I can do for possible success?


You did well! Plants are not that fragile and like Siamese twins the earlier they are separated the better success for both. I hope you used clean potting soil for these pots even if these will eventually be planted in the garden. Roots and dirt everywhere is completely normal. How big was the original pot? How big are the pots in which you transplanted these two trees? All soil, no rock or gravel, no garden soil, LOTS of drainage hole (s), pot bottom lifted off surface, no sitting water, allow to dry until the pot feels light when you lift it!! Water deeply and allow to dry until obviously light to lift. Don't worry about fertilizing for awhile. Allow these trees time to root and acclimate to their new home. Don't stake unless their canopy is lush and thick and heavier than the pot. Staking slows growth promoting more top growth instead of supportive roots and a thicker trunk. Please send pictures so that we can get you more detailed information to include the genus and species of your trees. Get the Scientific/Botanical names of these two trees. Common names really don't work well as there are 5 or 10 common names for every scientific name and plant. Even different plants of different genus, species will have the SAME common name. What is the environment like where these two plants 'live'? How much sun, wind exposure?

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