If you leave the fast spreading ones in pots it would be easier to divide them as needed since you will have limited space. Just bury the pot. Other things can be planted directly in yard soil on the bottom such as water lillies or if you want to be able to clean it easier leave everything in the pots and use old bricks to adjust the height according to the plants needs. That way you can have the lilly all the way at the bottom, marginals sitting up higher and floaters just running loose. This way if you need to clean it you just take all the pots out and drain the water and redo it when you want. If you plan to grow something like lotus you can plant it directly in yard dirt mixed with composted manure and some time release fertilizer and leave it in there for a couple years before it would need to be divided.

I am not looking for attractive, I am looking for cheap and sturdy for all the fruit trees and berries I have in pots, so I have switched to the big plastic lug-tubs with rope handles. They also have the benefit of being much easier to move around when filled with soil. Big Lots has some now for $7.00, I believe, MUCH cheaper than plastic pots and much larger for the plant, too. Carla in Sac

I have hundreds of black containers and there is no way I am going to buy more. Since we are talking about outside in the sun in the growing season, these are a few of my favorite things... I organize all my large container to where they are going to be outside, then the medium size. Here is the fun part. I take 1 or 2 gallon cheep-o-black pots, cut three or four 2" holes evenly spaced around the middle upper third of the pot. Next 3/4 more 2" holes around the bottom third of the pot. I alternate and evenly space them. Fill bottom of pot with soil then pick a cool annual or creeping herb for your climate. Then treat like a mini strawberry pot. Stick the fist level of plants in the bottom holes, fill in to the next level of holes. Stick in plants and fill in. In the top I pick something low growing and that can take some dryer soil. My pic is Sedum. I place them all around my containers and mimic the same annuals in my yard. In a month, about time the sun is at it's hottest they have filled in enough to protect. Looks like mounds of color instead of hot dirty pots. The result is very beautiful! This workes very well here for me in NYC. It also help with windy days-less blow overs. On dryer days it keeps a little more humidity around the citrus. On hot and humid days I spread them out a little, for better circ. On colder spring and fall nights it keeps the roots a little more sheltered. Thats my thing, and whats more fun painting or PLANTING.... Oh yeah, I almost forgot you have got get a few little containers,( even a old cap from a aerosol can will work) place them between and around the pots and fill with beer. Between the pots will make a perfect home for slugs. The beer is non toxic and VERY effective in controling them. There is something to be said about aluminium foil, my nasty squirrels hate it! I tear it in to 2"w long strips and criss cross it loosly over the top of my pots. It also looks very nice when the sun reflects off of it. Good Luck, Mantis212

Hi, Mike Thanks. It's been pretty busy weekend. My three kumquat trees (all in different variety ) have different metabolism... one is blooming like crazy, one just woke up and figured out it is time to start new grow, one is dying. Green Leaves drop and twigs die back. I searched up in internet, the symptom is not for any disease or pests, it is the root rot. This made repot decision easier. I just repotted this kumquat into gritty mix. Although it continues to loose leave and twig, but hopefully it will recover soon. This is my unknown named kumquat from China with very sweet fruit. I hate to loose it. My meyer lemon has few baby lemons on it and still puts out new growth. I am excited to see the lemons grow into larger size. My local grocery store had season end sales. The bark mulch I use for my gritty mix and 511 are on sale for $1 /2cf. I stock up a lot of them and stack them up to decompose a little more. This past weekend, I mixed big batches of 511 and gritty mix. Repotted my jasmine sambac "Grand Duke..." which just finished flowering. This was a cutting given to me last year from friend of mine. Mine survived over the winter pratically a stick, but started new grow this spring. My friend's plant died in winter so I need to grow my jasmie large enough to give him some cuttings. Moved all my Brugs. into 511 mix. They are all very happy, no more droopy leaves in the afternoon. I potted aout 1/4 of my plants with Gritty/511 in plastic. I am happy to recycle those plastic pots. I am a little heitate to move all plants into either 511 or gritty mix. I am evaluating the pros and cons. The gritty mix and 511 will reduce water retaintion , improve air circulation therefore less chance of root rot and improve root system and thus healthy plant. But it creats another problem... fertilizer and water waste. it is also harder to manage the fertilize timing. Every time I water/fertilizer the gritty mix/511 most of water with fertilizer in it come out at the bottom, which all goes to waste. It makes nearby grass grow much faster and greener than my plants. In winter time, when all the plants are inside, I must have a deep saucer under each plant in order to catch excess water.