Ask-a-Dave's-Gardener: Removing roots from pot or raised bed required?, 1 by greenplum

greenplum wrote:
I had a photinia type plant in a large pot. It did ok for a few years but this year it looked dead. I pull out the plant/soil from the pot and put it in my raised bed. I had to let it dry out a bit since there were a lot of small roots holding the dirt into the shape of the pot. I wasn\'t sure if it was the photinia plant root or some other roots that grew in there over time. After a day I was able to break down the soil. Do I need to remove all the roots by sifting before using the dirt again? I will put another plant into the pot and not sure if those small roots will grow back and cause a problem. Thanks.