variants
or less commonly rootball
plural root balls also rootballs
: the compact mass of roots and soil formed by a plant especially in a container
If there are large circling roots or you have a difficult time straightening the roots, the root ball should be thinned and the soil loosened before planting.—
Carey Brothers
Carey BrothersExamples of root ball in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Dig a hole that’s slightly larger than your seedling’s root ball.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Feb. 2025
Dig a planting hole 2-3 times as wide as the root ball.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 12 Feb. 2025
Use a dull knife or spoon to carefully loosen the soil edges in the smaller container and move the entire root ball with soil to the next size container, usually from a 2-inch to a 3- or 4-inch size.
—Betty Cahill, The Denver Post, 10 Feb. 2025
Add the plants, making sure the top of their root balls are at or slightly above the soil line.
—Tom MacCubbin, Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for root ball
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Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Feb. 2025
Dig a planting hole 2-3 times as wide as the root ball.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 12 Feb. 2025
Use a dull knife or spoon to carefully loosen the soil edges in the smaller container and move the entire root ball with soil to the next size container, usually from a 2-inch to a 3- or 4-inch size.
—Betty Cahill, The Denver Post, 10 Feb. 2025
Add the plants, making sure the top of their root balls are at or slightly above the soil line.
—Tom MacCubbin, Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for root ball
Cite this Entry
“Root ball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/root%20ball. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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