That is what I would do. Sometimes I will sacrifice the pot, cutting it instead of the roots coming out the bottom.

This is late season for us and those roots need time to establish or the dreaded heave could occur. Keep some of your garden soil or bagged soil unfrozen so that you can cover the roots of the late planted items if they decide to heave in spring. I have never had an established plant heave.

I was on the fence about cutting the pot. That's what I started to do, but it was thick rubber and didn't cut easily. Good idea with the soil: I have a bag or 2 left. I'll find a place to stash some in the garage. I know it's a risk buying this late, but at an average price of between $ 2 to $ 4 for big ones, could not resist.

I have had even established heucheras heave. Those are the worst ones.

I'd take a big knife (I have gardening knives - seriously) and slice the rootball in quarters. Start about halfway down the rootball and stick the knife through, then pull it out the bottom. Repeat after turning a quarter around. Something that big isn't going to heave. The problem is to get the roots going away from the central mass.

I've done the same as mad gallica.

Annette

Seems like I see some peat there. I have a running irrigation ditch, and all potted-in-peat perennials get the swishy water treatment before planting. They seem to settle in better in the long run. Often the center has less roots than you think, due to no air for them, and it gives you a place to start untangling. Takes some patience, and doesn't always work, but mostly does for me.

as to the pot.. a new razor blade.. carefully handled is better than scissors or some such ...

as to the plant.... take the hose to it.. at high pressure.. get all teh media out.. straighten the roots as best you can .. and plant ...

or quarter it... i call it butterflying .... like cut shrimp ...

its a grass... sedge.. can you kill it if you want to???

getting pretty late linn... hope it doesnt heave out ... hope you are wrapping everything up.. pretty quick ...

ken

The sedge was my last one. Most were planted over a week ago, then we had
good rains. In the future I will keep a blade at hand. When I am wearing the heavy
lace up gardening boots (which I have to wear now due to my foot problems),
having to take them off to get something in the basement is a disincentive to
doing things the right way.

Weather has been really good. This annual fall sale at the $$$ nursery didn’t
put me out much if I do have some losses. I went because their pricey hostas go
on dutch auction, which ends up being a deep discount. “Gallon” pots went for between
$4 and $2. This is the first time I got other
perennials, usually they are sold out: plus I don’t “need” any more perennials.
But 5 different kinds of groundcover geraniums seemed like a good addition to
the foreground of the expanded hosta bed.

Planting is done apart from transplanting some ajuga, which if it fails to
make it can be repeated next year. Oh, and the tulips…still have the tulips to
do.

I use a serrated bread knife or shovel and saw/slice the bottom chunk of root mass off (about 2") then make 4 diagonal slices into the roots evenly spaced all around the outside and then plant it. Works for me.

When I see how dense the solid mass is at the bottom, in situations like this, I have been tempted to cut it all off, but thought I would be dooming the plant. Sounds like the rough treatment works, though, catkin! Though I'm a few zones colder than you...

I do pretty much the same as catkin - cut off the bottom inch or so, then 4 cuts through the roots. I keep a serrated knife in my tool bucket just for that purpose. If possible I also try to tease the roots apart a bit, so they are looser and will (hopefully) grow outward once placed in the soil.

I do the same too, cut the roots girdling around the pot. I also rinse out the potting soil to help loosen the root ball or bang the hard mass on a rock to knock it loose. Grasses are the worst for getting pot bound rather quickly. I quit buying the mature gallon or larger sizes and started ordering the 4" pots from Santa Rosa Gardens for less money. The 4 inchers establish with 100% success, form a gallon size plant quite quickly and then soon outsize the big ones I have purchased locally because the roots establish quickly. Instant gratification works on some plants but I decided its better to buy small sizes with grasses and sedges. I once got burned buying several 'bargains' on sale that were severely pot bound and learned that its a good idea to pull the plant out of the pot and check the roots before buying. None of those root bound grasses I bought took hold after an entire season and I ended up wasting money. On the grass forum you hear this all the time, people wondering why their newly purchased grasses look like they are dying and not growing.