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 as deep as the root ball but twice as wide.
—Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Oct. 2024
Water Water the root ball itself—not the foliage–deeply.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 10 Oct. 2024
Dividing entails digging plants up and splitting the root ball into smaller sections to replant in different spaces.
—Kristin Hostetter, Outside Online, 9 Oct. 2024
After removing the plant from its nursery container, snip or prune girdling roots and rough up the surface of the root ball with your fingers.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for root ball 
Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Oct. 2024
Water Water the root ball itself—not the foliage–deeply.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 10 Oct. 2024
Dividing entails digging plants up and splitting the root ball into smaller sections to replant in different spaces.
—Kristin Hostetter, Outside Online, 9 Oct. 2024
After removing the plant from its nursery container, snip or prune girdling roots and rough up the surface of the root ball with your fingers.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for root ball
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'root ball.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Root ball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/root%20ball. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
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