I quite often repot this way especially larger plants saves a lot of hassle, for smaller plants cactus and such I make collars out of newspaper long enough it goes around the cactus plus enough to hang on to. Kitchen tongs work good too :). Annette

The zone maps are a great starting point, but regardless of what any map says, there may well be variations within any given zip code and it's up to the individual (gardener, in this case) to know his/her microclimate. We happen to live on a slight hill that is surrounded on three sides by a bay, which tends to mitigage winter lows and summer highs. Add in the abundance of tall oaks with an understory of rhodies and mountain laurel, and you really get some summer cooling, as well as some resistance to winter winds. Can't count on it every year, but we've had things overwinter that, by the books, shouldn't in this zone. But if I drive a mile or so inland, it's a whole different story ... can be embarassing at times ... don't know how many times I'd run out to a local store on a quick errand comfortably attired for a spring day in jeans and sweatshirt, only to feel terribly out of place (and uncomfortably warm) among folks in shorts, sleeveless tops and sandals! Hills, valleys, water, and where you are situated in relation to them, can make a surprising difference.

I know about burying them deeply, but that still only gives you a few inches of stem with roots. This way you get over a foot of stem buried. It's sort of like the potato boxes where you just keep adding soil or hay or whatever. @renofl I never thought of it like that, but you're right. I think that's why my soil that I build up with leaves, sticks and twigs in containers works so well. Of course, I can't use it on anything nematode sensitive, but I emptied a few pots of it recently and found earthworms in it. I'm trying to mimic mother nature in my garden. I like to call it "permaculture in the making," because I do have to fertilize a bit right now. I read it takes about 3 years to get a good permaculture soil base going.

"A" is a pot filled with commercially prepared potting soil. The shaded part represents a rather normal PWT (perched water table) of 4" which is about normal for commercially prepared mixes based primarily on small particulates - peat, coir, compost. composted forest products, sand, ..... The ht of the PWT is primarily based on the size of particles from which the soil is made, and the ht of the PWT any given soil will support is the same in any shaped container. "B" is pot "A" tipped at a 45* angle. Since the PWT ht is going to be the same in any pot, you can see how much extra water was forced from the drain hole when the pot was tipped. When you use this trick of science to help drain extra water from your pots, it's best (but not critical) that you have a drain hole through the bottom of the pot near the vertical wall, and that that drain hole is at the lowest point on the tipped pot. "C" is meant to illustrate that the container shape can have significant impact on how much perched water a planting can hold. "D" is one example of using ballast to reduce the amount of perched water a planting can hold. Compared to "A", you can see it reduces the amount of perched water in the planting by displacing soil that would otherwise be filled with perched water. "E" shows what can be accomplished with the use of a wick. Like B, the wick is best secured through a hole in the bottom where bottom meets the pot wall. It's also most effective when you use the wick and tip the pot, too. These images illustrate how much pot depth (and shape) can influence the amount soil roots will grow into. Most of the plants we normally grow as houseplants are reluctant to grow into saturated soils, and when they do, they're often killed the next time the planting is watered. The cyclic death and regeneration of roots is a very expensive outlay for the plant and comes straight out of its growth/development account. IOW, the energy the plant spends to regenerate roots over and over again is borrowed from energy that would otherwise be devoted to growth and vitality, and keeping the plant's defense systems orderly and humming along as you wish they would. The last images show what happens when a "drainage layer" is used (see middle image), and how you can use ballast at the bottom of the pot to eliminate nearly ALL perched water. Many items can be used as ballast - bricks, soda bottles/milk jugs with the cap still attached, kids plastic building blocks from a dollar store, over-turned pots. For growers not interested in making their own soils that allow the grower to water correctly without having to resort to tricks of science to drain away excess water, I highly recommend using ballast. It won't be as effective as media with a higher % of air porosity, but it will darn well make a big difference in how much of their genetic potential your plants can achieve. Al