Root-bound or Pot-bound Plants

Root-bound Passionate Pink Asiatic Lily

If your container plant is looking less lush, droopy, or if you notice the soil is not holding as much water as it should, your plant may be root-bound. Root-bound (or Pot-bound) plants are plants that have grown too large for its container resulting in matting or tangling of the roots. The roots can "choke" and eventually kill the plant if it is left unmaintained.

I check my plants once a year or once every couple of years depending on how vigorous the plant grows and the size of its container. I deal with root-bound plants in two ways. If I want to keep them in their original containers, I trim back the roots and replant them in their original container. Otherwise, I will untangle the roots and set the plant in a larger pot.


Re-Potting in Original Pot

1. Loosen up the sides of the plant with a hand shovel.
2. Slide the plant out of the pot.
3. Score the sides of the root-bound plant with the edge of the hand shovel.
4. Gently break up the tangled roots.
5. Trim back the roots. I trim back the thick growth encircling the bottom and the sides, but I have never trimmed back more than a 1/3 of a plant's root system.
6. Replant the plants in the original pot.

Upgrading to a Larger Pot

1. Loosen up the sides of the plant with a hand shovel.
2. Slide the plant out of the pot.
3. Score the sides of the root-bound plant with the edge of the hand shovel.
4. Gently break up the tangled roots.
   
5. Replant the plant in a pot that is one or two-sizes bigger than the original pot.

DIY Container Watering System: No Need to Water Plants for Weeks!

Last month, I went on a 3 week vacation. I have never left my plants alone for that long so I was a little worried they would die while I was gone. I transferred a bulk of my seedlings to a friend's backyard, and saved a few to test out a homemade greenhouse & drip system combo I had in mind. My experiment worked out beautifully! I returned to find all of my plants visibly taller, fuller and happy.

Ironically, a majority of the seedlings I had transferred to my friend's backyard died. The area I planted the seedlings in flooded, and the poor things were submerged under 3-inches of rainfall. Fortunately, the roma tomato, red bell pepper, bush bean and habanero I planted in her organic garden survived.

This system worked so well, I plan on using this system year-round. It is very simple to make, virtually free to create, and best of all I can literally go weeks without watering my garden!

DIY Container Watering System

• Materials:
• Large Plastic Ziploc Bag or Other Plastic Bag
• Empty Water Bottle with Cap
• Thumbtack (or some object that can puncture a water bottle)
• Pen
• Duct Tape or Rubber Bands*
• Bamboo Stakes*

• Directions:
1. Allow yourself at least one to two days prior to departure to setup and adjust your watering system.
2. Water your plant(s) thoroughly.
3. Take the thumbtack and stick it through the bottom of the empty water bottle to create a small hole. You can alternatively puncture the flimsier side wall, but make the hole near the bottom of the bottle. See Fig 2.

Fig 1

Fig 2

4. Fill up the water bottle with water. At this point, you will see the water freely spilling out of the hole. See Fig 5. Replace the water bottle cap, and tighten the cap until the water is just slowly dripping out of the hole. See Fig 6.
5. Place the water bottle right next to your plant. Mark the water level with a pen. See Fig 3.

Red Bell Pepper SeedlingFig 3

6. Create a tent over plant with the plastic bag. Make sure the plant leaves are not touching the plastic bag. If you are leaving your plants alone for a long time, make sure there is enough room at top to accommodate new plant growth. See Fig 4.
   

   Fig 4

7. Check and Adjust your System. Check on the plants the next day to see how much water was released. You will probably find that some bottles released water at faster rates than others. I tinkered with my system so that no more than an 1/8 of the water was absorbed a day. Adjust the release of water to your liking. You can loosen the cap to increase the water flow. Or you can tighten the cap to decrease water flow. The make-shift greenhouse (i.e., the plastic tent) will help conserve the moisture. See Photo.

Fig 5

Fig 6

(*) You can use bamboo stakes, duct tape or rubber bands to help create the tent. If you have a standard 6" terracotta pot and a small plant, then just use the large ziploc bags. The bag is stiff, sturdy, and fits snuggly over the lid of the pot.

Gardening in Winter

Free Seeds from wintersown.org

Who says you have to wait until spring to start gardening? You can successfully germinate seeds throughout the winter both indoors and outdoors.

• Indoors - You can easily start seedlings indoors if you have a sunny windowsill in your apartment. See Blog Post Dixie Cup Seedling Starter for more information on inexpensive seedling starters.

• Outdoors - You can sow seeds directly outdoors and encourage germination by using a green house method. See Blog Post Homemade Greenhouse: Germinate Seeds Easily Outdoors to learn how to make a green house with materials you already have at home.
  

Visit wintersown.org for more information about sowing in the winter. Trudi Davidoff has an informative essay on selecting seeds for winter sowing and recycling materials into seed flats.