I don't remember where I purchased this, probably Lowe's or Walmart, but why is it in a tiny cup/pot inside the main pot? The cup has slots on the side for the roots to come pot, but it seems awfully cramped in there. I've not come across this before now.
by dare2bfree
12 Comments
Probably was a “starter pot” to stabilize cuttings—probably a good idea to cut it off, or at least cut it open, so it doesn’t restrict the plant’s growth now.
Nursery pot of death. I’d pull the plant, remove as much soil as you can, soak it so the roots stay pliable, then start cutting away at the plastic until you free it up with minimal damage to the roots, then repot
Laziness. They’re started in those little cups, then when repotting, whoever did it didn’t bother taking the old pot off. Unfortunately common in commercial operations.
I’d definitely try to remove it, because I’ve found it traps a lot of moisture close to the stem.
I will get it removed today! I was thinking it was just a shortcut/leftover but I’m not a super knowledgeable plant mom. I at least have killed less plants this winter than the previous one.
Stranger pots.
some pots are biodegradable and you can plant them in them without issue to the plant
I had a Chinese evergreen like this. Had a few shoots in these tiny cups, like 2 or 3. Replanted in a bigger pot, didn’t know any better at the time and left the tiny cups on. Then I was wondering why my plant really never grew lol. Dug up tore the cups off (carefully) and replanted. It’s doubled in size now. These tiny cups and those damn rubber bands or twisty ties they put on money trees. Horrible for your plants.
I’d leave it. You’ll likely do more damage to the roots removing the nursery pot than if you leave it. It’s standard practice for large scale nurseries to put cuttings into a small pot like this so it’ll sprout roots, then add soil and a bigger pot around it for sale/resale.
Death trap!
It’s cost-savings. Believe it or not, landscape trees get done the same way. Planted in the ground with a basket, wires, burlap or even nylon straps still attached. The roots strangle and they founder after a few seasons or years.
Nurseries aren’t set up to provide you with a nice plant in your home, they care about getting plants in an acceptable condition to their point of sale and nothing else.
The sad truth is plants with rubber bands and nursery pots just tossed into bigger pots filled with unhealthy potting medium has become the norm. Even when there isn’t a rubber band, nursey pot, or those horrible little nylon seedling bags, the potting medium is not designed for the health of the plant. It is designed to keep the plant steady during transportation, and is often selected because it compacts down even when that is the opposite of what the plant needs.
Basically everything you buy needs to be inspected for pests, diseases, and then immediately re-potted when you bring it home.