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Alliums in pots - roots coming through the bottom already?
Jack Wallington
Posts: 12
Hi everyone,
I recently received some Allium sphaerocephallon (25 of them) which I've planted into 4 x 15 cm pots with a view to keeping them there until spring when I'm going to completely revamp my border.
However, despite planting them relatively high, within about a month they already have strong growth and their roots are coming out of the bottom holes fairly strongly. I wasn't expecting so much growth until spring! 
What do you think I should do? Will they be 'ok' like that until March or is it urgent that I either repot or plant out?
Thank you
0
Posts
Hi Jack
I think they'll be fine where they are - growth will slow down when the colder weather arrives
I take it you'll plant them deeper in the spring when you put them in the border?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thanks Dovefromeabove. I guess as long as I am careful not to damage the roots too much, they will still get 3 - 4 months in their final places to soak up nutrients before flowering
Jack - I did something similar last year as I was constructing raised beds and they weren't ready in time to get bulbs planted. I planted the alliums from their pots out in spring and they were all fine.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
They've got their nutrients stored in the bulb Jack, don't worry about that. They'll need some more food after flowering to build up for the next year though
my narcissi in pots have all got roots out the bottom
In the sticks near Peterborough
That kind of Allium is a cold temperature grower, so the growth you see is normal. The time to feed Alliums is now,rather than after flowering as by then the bulbs have gone dormant. In fact very often the flower stalk is not even attached to the bulb when in flower.
I didn't know that Berghill, obvious when you think about it
In the sticks near Peterborough
Obviously only true for cold temperature Alliums. The ones from places like California have a different growth pattern, except that almost all of them flower when the leaves have finished doing their job.
Got criticised for cutting back the sere tips of leaves on a show Allium when they should be left, to show how the plant performs in the wild. Looked uncared for to me so I trimmed them.