Help needed for somethign stuipd I did

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starlight1153 Seale, AL(Zone 8b) May 02, 2007

I had some puny shrubs at the beginign of last year '06 ad ha d put them in some oen gallon pots and place d them all together in a nice semi shady area. Well with one thign and another neve r really got back to them othe r than makign sur e they got plenty of water and fertilizer.

Well now they finishe d blooming and are looking fairly decent and I know they gonna survive and darn if the thing s didn't root otu through the bottom of the pot and into the soil. They in their good too. trie d wigglign the pot to se e if it would losen easily but it won't.

Can I just break the pots loose and if I do so will I damage the root s really bad and maybe kill the shrubs? Or do I need to try and dig the whole mess out and if so what the easiest thing to us e to cut back plastic pots of f with.

Would appreciate knowing the best thing to do.

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growin Beautiful, BC(Zone 8b) May 02, 2007

I've done a few things. If it's well rooted into the ground, dig the whole plant and pot out of the soil, turn it on it's side. When removing a plant I always make a fist, slam the side of the pot from different angles. Loosen the soil on the roots in the soil so you have a better idea of how big they are. I use my pruners to trim the holes bigger so the roots pull-through. I've also used wire cutters for larger pots. If you can cut a line from hole to hole so the entire bottom comes off, even better.

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Soferdig Kalispell, MT(Zone 4b) May 03, 2007

just cut the pot out (after digging it up) with a sharp knife and pull the plastic off. Then replace the soil and the exposed roots in the new hole.

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escambiaguy Atmore, AL(Zone 8b) May 03, 2007

It's amazing how plants can do this. I went to a closed down nursery several years ago that was for sale, and lots of trees were left behind to grow into the ground. I'd say that place had been closed down for about three years. I mostly remember a tulip poplar that was in a 3gal container that had completely busted through the pot and had grown into the ground. I think the place is still vacant so it has probably consumed the pot by now.

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Equilibrium May 03, 2007

I've run out of time planting what I've purchased and have had plants that did this before. I took a serrated knife from my kitchen and sliced the roots then pretty much planted them. That was it.

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watersedge Northeast Harbor, ME May 03, 2007

I'd just slice off the roots too but, before I out it in the ground, I'd score/slice the sides of the root ball in four equidistant places (kinda like you were trying to quarter it) in order to help get rid of any possibly girdling roots.

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