Viewing post #992532 by plantladylin

When a potted plant gets too big for it's britches it becomes root-bound with a mass of roots filling up the container to where water runs off, not allowing enough moisture to get through to the root system. There's nothing wrong with root bound plants, they are usually very healthy ... the roots are just growing out, searching for moisture and sometimes end up in a tangled mass, filling the container. I've been guilty to the point of letting plants get so root bound that the roots actually split the plastic pots and there have even been times when a thick tap root will grow out the drainage hole and it's impossible to get the plant from it's container so I end up having to cut the pot down it's side to remove the plant or cut the tap root to be able to yank the plant out. In nature when plants are in the ground, the roots have room to spread out in search of water but when in a pot, over time (sometimes a very short period of time) the roots fill the pot and the water cannot soak through to the root system; that's when fresh soil and perhaps a larger container are needed.