@crystalview
I transferred your question over here from another thread.
crystalview said:What are we calling an adequate pot width. Does the depth matter for happy Arabicum's. Will they stay in this pot for awhile since they are slower growing then obesum?
Arabicums have a different survival mechanism.
A. obesum grow one large succulent root just below the base of the above-ground caudex that is used for extra storage of water and nutrients (an exception would be if the tap root was cut and multiple fat succulent roots are produced). And when the tree is "lifted," exposure of the main root makes the tree appear larger and taller. Also, there are no large lateral roots evident on the main root, only small feeder roots.
The arabicums' survival relies on the above-ground caudex. And although an arabicum seedling starts out with a "haddock" root like on an A. obesum, this root eventually stops growing downward and grows laterally along with several other roots that have grown out over a matter of a few months. By then one can't tell which was the original root among the others.
So because arabicum roots grow laterally, a wider container is required to accommodate them, and the caudex will grow fat faster. Depth is not as great an importance as width. Lifting the tree and exposing the jumble of lateral roots will only detract from the beauty of the caudex. Then again, if you have a Thai Soco or other kind of arabicum that you want to train to have "centipede" roots, well...that's a whole 'nother thing.
Here's an example of an arabicum seedling's roots.
