I'm more of the opinion that the foundation of a containerized planting is the medium, not the container you grow it in... and I'm fairly certain science and physics would back that up. I also believe it's a fallacy that plants "like" being root bound... this goes against the majority of everything found in nature. Plants react a certain way when pot bound because they may... for lack of a better way to put it... feel that their survival is in jeopardy. When the roots are restricted, and have no where else to grow, they will begin offsetting or budding, making what instinct tells them is a last ditch effort to survive because conditions warrant... reproducing and leaving offspring being their main function in life, instinctively, genetically. I grow a couple of Clivia, and I keep them in regular clay pots, tall enough to give their fleshy roots ample room. The medium is Gritty Mix, the feeding program the same as for everything else. If I'm not mistaken, Al has discussed the issue of root space and how it affects plant growth and health at the Container Gardening Forum... and I'm fairly certain his recommendation is providing plenty of room and keeping Leibig's Law, the law of the minimum, in mind when growing any plant type. It states that growth is controlled not by the total amount of resources available, but by the scarcest resource, the most limiting factor. Quite honestly, Frank... I'd ask at the Container Gardening Forum, and see what tapla and greenman have to contribute on the issue.

Hi growlove, There are a couple options. You could re pot the whole plant in one size larger pot or separate the pups [which is your question] Its quite messy,but to separate everthing, I would take everything out of the pot. Carefully go through the roots untill you can see where the different plants join the parent. If you get enough roots on all of the offshoots, you could then pot them up individually. good luck, really hope this helps!

Congrats, Midnight. Growing a clivia to blooming size from seed is a great accomplishment. I hope you'll start a separate thread with pics once the blooms are open. Great plants! Socks, Disneyland and I have a lot in common, heh heh, and no, not because I'm "goofy"! I like a lot of the plants they use, and how they create such cheerful/jarring combinations. I just planted a bare root 'Disneyland' rose, which, while not jarring, is certainly perky like the many they have planted there. I've been gardening since I was five years old and have reached the point where I just plant what I enjoy and what makes me smile, so "tastemakers" be damned, lol. The brighter, taller, and stinkier, the more I like my orange marigolds. I actually struggle to find non-dumpy dwarf types. Usually I get them from Select Seeds or Seeds of Change...what about you? Take care, Grant

That was a topic of discussion on Gardening by the Yard today - catalpa trees. I see them everywhere, some look like they were "intentionally" planted and others look like volunteers, so I bet they reseed. Like all those darn elm seedlings, pecan seedlings, and rose of sharon seedlings that I have to prick out of the garden every single dad gum year! I would love to have the vitex also OKC1, but I really don't have a place for it, unless....I cut one of the pines down, and that's a distinct possibility. And its working around these pines (I do love the mulch, mind you), the people who lived here before me planted two on either side of the front yard - they were their kids Christmas trees, they said. But, they did not take into account the size of the trees. These trees are about 30 feet tall, one is about as wide as it is tall, and the other half as wide. They encroach on my driveway, which is very tiny little driveway to begin with, and the other encroaches on the neighbor's driveway. He has offered to cut that one down for me, and if I can rent a whatever those thingabobbers are called that grind the wood into mulch, I have agreed to let him do it. The only place for it would be on my front easement, and last year when the City's water pipe was leaking, they dug up about half of that space to get to it for repairs. Then they take their own sweet time to come back and spread the soil around. I don't know about the paper mulberry, but my contorted mulberry is a gem. It's now about 15-20' tall, with HUGE heart-shaped bright light green leaves and the branches are contorted like Harry Lauder's Walking Stick. It flowers (catkins), but the flowers are small and very insignificant, and doesn't fruit. So, it's a very clean tree. A chocolate tree? Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing to have..... Susan