Temporary Growing arrangement - pots or grow bed?

[Srt8madness]

I'm currently leasing a home, and expect to be in it until March 2026. The backyard is crap for ground growing, all hard packed red clay.

I have some pines that are in the stage of needing to caliper up considerably. 1-3 years old (though a Texas year old is about as big as a northern 2-3 year seedling). Some are in pots, one is a rectangle bonsai pot, couple of pond baskets, and this year's crop in 3" pots inside of pond baskets with pumice for escape roots.

Ground growing is out due to bad soil and time frame. I'm wondering which would be better though, potting them all up in pond baskets or upsized pots, or building a grow bed and using root pouches inside pumice/perlite/bark. I will do that this fall, as I have better success repotting young pines in fall (with this climate they seem to settle over "winter" and then blast off in Spring, becoming more resilient to the brutal summer). After this fall, I won't touch the roots until Spring '26 when I move.

My actual question is if it worth the effort and expense to build and fill a grow bed for this time frame, or if I should just up pot until I move? When I do move, I intend on growing in ground for a few years at least, though I could relocate the grow bed as well.

Any thoughts?

 

[Mike Westervelt]

How many pots are we talking about?

 

[Themilkyway]

I think building a bed is not worth it. Firstly, it would be expensive (also permission may be needed?). Secondly, it will take at least a year for your trees to start growing after you transplant them, leaving you with essentially a year left of “ground growing”. Then you’d be digging it up and stunting it again. Not worth it in my opinion.

I would just do the stacking pond basket trick. I bet you’ll get more growth from this within the next 2 years than ground growing for the next 2 years.

 

[Shibui]

Setting pots on the ground and letting roots escape would also give good results. You'll be surprised what pine roots can do in even shitty soil.
There's no problem just cutting escaped roots and moving pots at any time of year.

 

[Srt8madness]

How many pots are we talking about?

Probably 30 trees total. I have enough pond baskets for them all thanks to Cajunrider.

I think building a bed is not worth it. Firstly, it would be expensive (also permission may be needed?). Secondly, it will take at least a year for your trees to start growing after you transplant them, leaving you with essentially a year left of “ground growing”. Then you’d be digging it up and stunting it again. Not worth it in my opinion.

I would just do the stacking pond basket trick. I bet you’ll get more growth from this within the next 2 years than ground growing for the next 2 years.

Permission, lol.

I was more thinking of an above ground grow bed vs prepared soil in ground, but your point is taken. Only expense would be the pumice, which I'm buying either way. I've got the materials and ability to build the thing. But, as you said, could be more hassle than it's worth!

One other aspect I neglected to mention, I work and travel, so anything that will allow me to go two days between watering instead of one would be helpful.

Setting pots on the ground and letting roots escape would also give good results. You'll be surprised what pine roots can do in even shitty soil.
There's no problem just cutting escaped roots and moving pots at any time of year.

True true, good advice as always Shib. I do have a native loblolly and a juniper which are firmly rooted to the ground under their pots. I suppose I could dig out and replace the soil where I set them. I'm not on the ragged edge of efficency like Curtis and his setup, but I am pretty proud of the growth I get on my pines and would like to be as efficient as possible.

 

[Mike Westervelt]

With 30 pots I'd be inclined to follow Shibui's advice, or knock together a quick 4'x8' raised bed using 2"x6"s and fill with pumice/bark/perlite whatever is affordable to you and sink them in.
A bed will make your watering easier in your climate and in 1-1/2 years you should get some good growth utilizing escape roots.
Up potting all of them is labor intensive and will slow them down a little bit which seems counterintuitive to your stated goals of trunk growth.

Good luck with your pines and upcoming relocation!