Turn the 6 pack upside down, squeeze on the bottom of an indivual pot and hold your hand under it to catch the plant, unless they are terribly rootbound each individual plant should pop right out without any damage. This always works for me when I am transplanting them in my grrenhouse. Hopes this helps.

Cut it - especially if the sets are rootbound. Your rootbound plants that come out of these containers will actually benefit from scoring the side of the root ball vertically with a razorblade. It stops the tangled roots from growing inwardly. Works the same for rootbound trees & shrubs in nursery containers.

Al

If they don't have a lot of roots growing out the bottom of the pot, I hold the whole 6 pack upside down with my fingers spread to catch any that fall but the one I want.
But for the root bound ones, I sometimes cut down the sides of the pot to get it out.
And heed what Al said about slashing the root ball with a blade. If you have ever pulled out a plant that failed to grow and discovered that the roots hadn't spread at all....you won't forget.
Linda c

I hear the term rootbound alot but I don't think I have a clear udnerstanding of it.. I've taken plants out which have roots all along the edge, circling around. Actually it is quite common for me, and I've transplanted them without any major problems as far as I can tell (the plants grew to a good size later) So what exactly does it mean to be rootbound, what would it look like?

I always liked to keep a cheap pair of scissors around when working with plants to clip a dead leaf or clip sack of soil or to clip a 6-pack.

Rootbound is when a pot is so filled with roots there is not much room for water or soil....the roots are coming out of the bottom and often when watered, the water just runs out of the pot.
Linda C

Also, when severely rootbound, the roots will start to grow in a circle. Not good. Cutting straight down the edge of the container will often slice through the circling roots, which will prevent the circlers from continuing to grow around and around (circling will prevent growth and eventually choke the plant) and encourage the plant to make new feeder roots *outward* into the soil.

I usually push up from the bottom of the cell, and the dirt/rootball pops up- and yes, grab the plant by a leaf before you grab the stem. bruise a leaf, no big deal. bruise the stem- can kill the plant.

if they's wedged in there, cut them out with an old pair of scissors- any roots you trim will just put out fresh new rootlets from that point- I have gotten into the habit of adding a bit of rooting hormone to the 'compost tea' (barnyard brand compost tea bags and like $3 a box, and a great investment) that I water in my new plants with- it encourages new roots to grow out into the surrounding soil.

I love these forums!! I didn't know about the tidbit about vertically cutting the root-bound plants to encourage better root growth. That's good to know. Thanks for letting us know!

I picked up some pots off the curb someone was throwing away, they planted the six pack in the soil without taking them out! Will they grow this way? My friend said her neighbor does this in her flower beds and they grow! Never heard of this!