I used to use those peat pots and inalways just dropped them in whole.. With some moisture it shouldn't be to much of a concern.. If you feel like you need to dig them up and rip it, go for it.. But you should be ok with what you have now.. Worst comes to worst, the peat pot take long to decompose and it will become a little rootbound.. But it should be just fine..

No worries,
Joe

Agree, pull it up and do it right - preferably remove the entire pot sides and all. And in the future avoid using them whenever possible. The problems with them are well documented.

Dave

I would pull it up and redo it. You want to have the best possible chance at a successful harvest.

yes - they will really constrain the roots alot. redo.

I hate those things...

Roots grow too fast and most people's soils cannot break the pots down properly or quickly enough. I also hate the "cut the bottom off" suggestion many companies/growers use because it hinders lateral growth of roots forcing more roots deeper past soil that contains some of the most nutrient rich parts of the soil.

I always cut the plants out of those pots with scissors and throw the pots on the compost pile.

This post was edited by nc-crn on Mon, Apr 22, 13 at 16:41

I would redo most but leave a few and compare. If you redo them all or don't redo any you may never know.

The first year that I did a larger garden I grew tomatoes from seed in those pots. I didn't know any better, and planted the whole pots with seedlings.... I was lucky and they grew without a problem!! I had clay soil that stayed pretty moist through, so maybe that made a difference.

If you have the opportunity to dig up and do it properly I would, but when I messed it up it turned out fine :)

I have seen those "decomposable" pots still in the dirt a year after they were put there.

Don't plant them at all. Cut your stuff out of them (just soak the container for a little bit and you can peel it off with your hands), and then plant normally.

Never put a container of any kind in the ground, no matter what its made of. If its sturdy enough to hold wet dirt in shape, then its sturdy enough to prevent the roots from getting through it.

Only thing them decomposable pots are good for is the compost, if that. People really buy them just like the jiffy pellets. It's all about convenience and money, convenience and money.

Save your money, never buy these pots.

I will definitely pull them up and remove the pots, when it warms up a bit. We had a freeze the last 2 nights here in NE OK, but near 70 today. Thanks for all the help.
Ron

I dug up the 3 plants and pulled off the 'pots'. They did not appear very decomposed. The cilantro roots had reached the pots, others (red bell pepper, tomato) had not. Thanks for all the answers. I will not bury those again.

Did your plants survive the freeze?

Oh yes they are doing well, I have been putting buckets over them at night if there is a threat of freeze or hail. We had a light freeze last night (ice on my car), which is very unusual. We had snow flurries yesterday, which is the latest on record. It was mid 80's a few days ago, and the squash are growing fast. Hopefully the cold is over now.
Ron
Tulsa OK