Potbound

We've all seen it, a plant thats been in the pot for too long, roots going round and round the outside of the pot that take ages to tease out and are easily damaged.

Meantime theres all that compost in the middle that the plant has hardly used.

There's an easy solution, see thru pots.

When a root tip hits the outside of the pot, the light kills the tip, sending a chemical message back to the base that makes it send out more fiberous roots from the main root.

Result is the plant forms a rootmass within the previously ignored compost and when you repot it, it'll be ready to go

I've just made some pots out of some gallon water bottles from the supermarket, with the added bonus that the cut off top makes a mini cloche.

 

It also makes the roots boil if the sun hits the pot in summer.
Best way to avoid unused compost in the middle of a pot is to pot on gradually.

 

Any more than a black pot?

 

Well I've often wondered about black pots versus the terracotta colour, but I've never made any comparisons.
But apart from some of the orchids that grow aerial roots that actually turn green sometimes, that might just have a value in clear pots, I cant really see the point of killing off roots on purpose.

 

What about the growth of green algae! I have a stack of clear plastic drinks cups I may just give a try based upon your findings. Cheers, Tony.

 

Well here's an onion that has been growing in a clear pot






None of the roots running round and round the pot base.

Roots quite evenly spread thru the whole compost.

I'll do a comparision with a solid pot next year

 

Interesting it shows you can grow a good sized onion in 3" off soil . I grow mine in supermarket plastic containers with about 5" off soil .

 

I should have put something in for scale, it's a 5 litre bottle, 4 inches of manure, onion is 4 inches across

 

I just didn't realise you can grow onions in pots! Will def try that next year...they didn't do very well in plot this year.

 

Hi JJ
I grow all my veg in pots - then again I only grow onions and Chillies. These are Sturon grown from Wilkos onion sets. I grow them in two old 18" containers and a couple of supermarket plastic trays "borrowed " from the local Co-Op . Very easy to grow in the space behind the shed plus they make great cheese and onion sandwiches . The Chillies are Tokyo Hot.

 

White pots have been found to be cooler in summer mthan other colours, this reduces stress. There are also air pots with numerous holes in them that cause the roots to self prune as they grow through the holes resulting in a dense root system with no spiralling.