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soil Soil compaction....

Capsicum said:
Yea, I am for sure going to mulch all of my containers. Thanks for bringing that up.
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yeah it was really annoying trying to water all the plants before without making holes in the soil, and bending over trying to water all of them was just killing my back lol, so now with the mulch it really helps because I can just pour it on really fast, and the water spreads out pretty evenly for the most part and doesn't create any holes the soil at all.
 
meinchoh said:
Very true. There's no good reason not to place a seedling directly into a 3 or 5 gallon container. Spatial and lighting concerns aside...
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1. If you use smaller pots and pot up you will be using fresher soil and allowing more air to get to the roots. A small plant in a big pot gets less air than a small plant in a a small pot
2. As the roots hit the side of the pot they start branching and then they start circling. So the roots become denser. Once they start circling you need to pot up.
3. As the roots circle the plant becomes rootbound. Rootbound plants die.
4. Fresh fluffy medium and compost are good for the plants. Repotting is a way to provide that.

Again I am coming from the perspective of a year round season. But if you have a plant that has been in a 5 gallon bucket for 12 months and insist on not repotting it then say goodbye to that plant.

Now if we are talking about these huge fabric or air pots then I will concede that the benefits are smaller than the risks.
 
I was referring from going from solo cup to 3 or 5 gallon pot, skipping the intermediate 1 or 2 gallon as some do.
 
Right and I think that an intermediate step benefits the plant because it causes root branching and gets new soil later and gets a little more air to the roots. It is not without drawbacks though
1. pots aren't free.
2. unused pots take up space
3. wait too long and you get circling
4. have to water more
5. it is harder to get feeding right in small pots
6. larger pots have larger thermal mass.

Anyway I mostly do it sequentially and may be nutty but I find it helps.
 
Everybody has different views and experiences.

I like going straight to big containers.

Beauty of gardening, doing it the way that works for you.
 
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