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Introducing the Rootator

Shortlisted for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show Garden Product of the Year 2016, here after known as 'POTY'

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We are very pleased to have been shortlisted for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show Garden Product of the Year.

Here at Squareroot we relish a challenge, be it a tricky site or a very specific requirement for plants and their maintenance. We know that planters need to be so much more than simply a vessel to contain plants and 

our entry for CFS POTY 2016 is the result of our endevours to solve one such requirement.

Rootator is a device that enables large trees and plants in containers to be manually turned through 360 degrees for consistent sunlight exposure and access for maintenance.

Planters are frequently located close to a wall and as a result large plants often suffer from die back and uneven growth. A similar situation occurs when sites have a limited number of sunlight hours, some aspects receiving none at all. Trying to move a large container full of soil is risky if not impossible, potentially harming the perpetrator, pot and plant, however, with a Rootator in place the pot and plant become weightless and fluid. The Rootator plates spin freely using captive ball bearings in a single row making the manoeuvre smooth and effortless. Manually turning by degrees throughout the growing season, eliminates the problem and restores balance. When deployed within a Squareroot planter the upper planting remains undisturbed as the tree can revolve freely beneath with a simple twist of the stem.

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Although initially designed to sit within our range of aluminium planters whilst utilising the Squareroot inner pot system, the Rootator can also be used for other containers such as large terracotta pots etc. This also has another benefit in that the Rootator elevates the pot slightly from the ground thanks to the addition of rubber stabilizing feet and so reduces the chance of frost damage to such porous containers.

Topiary trimming is a breeze whether you’re dealing with a large pot on the ground or rattling through a pre-Chelsea queue of excited box balls, a Rootator on the workbench aids and speeds the process.

The unit is ultra slimline and slip resistant and made from non-corrosive, hard wearing materials.

It might not be rocket science but it is a very nifty bit of kit!

Olive in bespoke Low Versailles located in courtyard with restricted sunlight hours

Above: Olive tree sited in a courtyard where sunlight is restricted to mornings only. The Rootator enables the tree to be turned throughout the growing season to achieve healthy even growth of the crown. The detachable panel means that root trimming in the future will be easily effected and the aluminium planter and the olive will be lifelong companions!

See Rootator on the Chelsea Flower Show POTY stand and try it for yourself on the Squareroot stand SR275

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 24 - 28 May 2016 Royal Hospital, Chelsea, London, SW3 4SL