and another way to abate the problem is to bed the pots (not crocked) on sand, earth or capillary matting. Peter On Wed, Dec 4, 2013 at 6:29 PM, Hannon <othonna@gmail.com> wrote: > Great discussion. Peter's comment made me realize immediately one of the > main problems with growing in pots, namely that there is no capillary > action to speak of at all. A plant's roots will respond to the > downward/outward hydrostatic principle but in pots this stops at the > drainage holes, where there is drying instead of an "expected" refuge for > moisture-seeking roots. The wicking effect only lasts a very short time > after watering. > > Instead of root-encouraging water movement, in containers there is a drying > effect from above and below and at the sides and the last region to dry out > is toward the center of the rootball-- where feeder root development is > poorest. This staleness or lack of proper water movement must account, in > part, for the relatively poor performance of many species in pots that > thrive when planted in the ground. > > One way to abate this problem is to keep plants more pot-bound than usual. > This necessitates more frequent watering and keeps the cycle of air and > water movement more brisk. > > >