When to repot young Choisya (Mexican Orange Blossom)?

I know the traditional method to see if something needs repotting is to turf it out of the pot and have a look, or to see if roots are growing out of the bottom hole. My choisya is in a substantially large, heavy terracotta pot so that would be a last resort. So I am trying to determine, by other means, if this plant needs repotting.

This year, the young Choisya (about 2 feet high with a few 'branches') is looking somewhat dwindled from what it was before....less growth, less bushy and less flowers. I have been feeding it Miraclegro (in spring) and also phosphorus when in flower.

The only (slight?) complication is that I have allowed oxeye daisies to naturally flower in the same pot (didn't plant them there). They are now as tall as the choisya plant..... but they would have small, shallow roots wouldn't they? (I am a naturalistic gardener).

I placed it in its current very large terracotta pot in 2009 (some 6 years ago) and made a note that there was 4" of soil below the base of the roots. Would it be needing repotting by now?

Given this info, is it likely that:-

(a) the lack of growth/flowers (despite feeds) indicates a need to repot?

(b) are the oxeye daisies (of which there are many...all around it) likely to be disadvanatageous to the choisya? I would submit a photo of the choisya but it is somewhat hidden now by surrounding daisies.

(c) I didn't protect this fairly large plant during winter months (I upturned the bottom saucer and stood it on this)....should I have done so? Would that account for the dwindled current situation?

 

Ah thanks for your post. Hmm...so now it becomes a problem since I don't really have anywhere to put it i.e. in the ground (for it to spread as it should).

I think I will bag it up and take it to the recycling depot for someone to claim it there. I did this recently with a young ash tree that I found suddenly sprouting up (in a problematic space) and was pleased to see someone had taken it!

 

I agree because ... I have one trying to achieve just that!! It needs a Chelsea chop now the flowers are falling but ... now a clematis is growing through it I still can't give it a hair cut
Never knew they could be such big boys until I moved here and saw this one.

 

It's not too late to prune it @rosebay (late Spring/early Summer) you don't have to take it to the recycling centre. You can cut it back quite hard.

 

OK...I think the problem is likely to be more about repotting though (given it has been in the same pot for 6 years).

If the roots are not too big, I think I may be able to transfer it to the front garden in a spot that used to have a rosebush (killed/bleachsprayed by a demented neighbour). I am still trying to saw off the last remnants of it....not sure how long the soil takes to recover from what she did but some small plants are springing up around that space.

 

I have some commercial horse manure (i.e. in a bag). Would that be preferable to compost in the hole?