Viewing post #2888662 by stone

tapla said:

In practice, this is no different from the trees that take root on a log and send roots down the side of the log into the ground... (Nurse logs)...

I think it's significantly different. Other than the fact that a nurse log provides beneficial resources, a nurse log is little different than the seed falling on the ground, germinating, and sending the seed radicle into the soil. Roots in containers naturally tend toward becoming a tangled mass of roots that encircle, girdle, cross, or otherwise interfere with the normal function of other roots; whereas a seed that germinates on a nurse log or on top of the soil has (normally) unfettered ability to access as much soil as it needs.

Not sure why you felt the need to debate my simile...

My point was that plants often start above the ground.

As far as roots circling inside the pot...
At my house this is not a thing.

At my house... I pot up the plants... water once... and forget about them.

The plants send their roots into the soil below, or perish.
There's no reason to circle inside the pots, as I don't add chemical fertilizers or water or anything like that.