I live in Zone 5, so my brugs are stored in the basement (except for a few spoiled ones that spend the winter in the greenhouse). As my collection has grown in number and size, I am looking for a way to give them growing room in the spring and summer yet retain the ability to store them for the winter, without cutting them off at the base and putting them in water (too scary and I will kill them).
My idea is to use an accelerator pot, http://www.nurserysupplies.com/products/accelerator/accelerator.php
12 inch top diameter, 8 inches high, for the main pot. I would place the accelerator in a 17 inch top diameter, 15 inch tall pot (solid) for the spring and summer. The roots would grow through the accelerator into the larger outside pot. In the fall, I could trim the top of the plant, lift out the accelerator pot, trim the roots and store in the basement. I don't care if water gets on the floor - it's just cement.
I thought an added benefit would be that the outside pot is large, and I could put in heavier soilless mix and polymer crystals to help with water retention. And they would be heavy enough not to blow over in a wind storm.
Will it work?
Will this planting technique work for Brugs?
They sure make a lot of claims. LOL. I've found the only thing that keeps my pots upright is to allow the roots to grow through the drain holes and into the ground. I've had big 24" - 30" pots blow over in the wind. With the roots growing into the ground, those Brugs really stay put and take off. When I'm ready to take the pots into the greenhouse, I cut the roots even with the pot and trim the tops to compensate for root loss. My only problem is in allowing the roots to exit the drain holes, I'm also allowing Bermuda grass in through the drain holes and into the Brug root ball. If you don't have Bermuda grass then it should be a snap to let the Brug roots go out the drain holes of a regular pot.
I'll bet those Accelerator pots are expensive. If what Accelerator claims is true, the benefit to the plants is all that extra oxygen that get to the roots. Heavy soil-less mix would make it harder for the oxygen to get through, might lead to root rot and wouldn't keep the pot from blowing over.
I use the accelerators for my water plants, and they work very well for those. That's what has me thinking about other uses. They cost about 2.36 per pot. I'm putting the pots in an area that will be covered with landscape fabric and bark mulch along a fence. That way we don't have to trim the fence line and the neighbors get to enjoy the plants that come from the greenhouse they have to look at all year. But is also means the roots won't be growing into the ground. Part of the appeal of the smaller pot is that my DH doesn't have to haul 30 huge planters into the basement. He already has to put about 300 plants in the greenhouse. I'm afraid he's going to say the brugs have to go.