Would it be beneficial to cut the bottom out of my buckets and put them about 3 inches into the ground so if the roots do need to grow out more they have the ability to grow down more? Thanks
I am not pro at this. But i would say not to do that and just plant them into the ground then. One of the benifits of having it in a bucket is so you can move the plant and by cutting the bottom off it stops you from doing so. So in my opinion just pick one or the other.
I agree w/ blazinout. If you're going to cut out the bottoms of buckets, just put your plants straight in the ground.
I should have mentioned that my soil really sucks Its a slow draining hard clay based about 4 inches down. So instead of digging down 2 x 3 feer and putting in a good organic soil six I added soil to the 4 inches and then put the same soil into buckets for the plants. I then cut out the bottoms thinking it would help with root rot.
All that water is just going sit on top of that clay and not drain away into the earth. Basically going to be like a big pot with no holes in it. I shouldn't say Not going to drain, it will drain Very slowly. How big are your pots? Have the plants been outside all season? I would just say get bigger pots for next year if they are going to become rootbound this year.
i only cut the bottom of the buckets if i think its rootbound and dont feel comfortable transplanting it. then i put the bottom into another bucket that has a larger top with more soil if the roots want to spread
If You cut the bottom out, be prepared for a pest problem. Also, I recommend You invest in some decent soil.
My pots are 6gal pots..but they are wide and deep instead of just deep like a 5gal bucket. I did roto-til the soil pretty well. The pots are burried about 2 inches in the ground. I did drill 1/4 inch holes near the bottom for extra drainage... After this harvest I am going to dig 3 feet down or so and get rid of the dirt and fill it all in with some top soil and organic additives.