×
  • Home
  • Daily
    • Buyers Guides
    • Composting
    • Container Gardening
    • Easy Healthy Recipes
    • Food Preservation
    • Garden Design
    • Garden Tools
    • Gardening LIfe
      • Animals in the Garden
      • Funny Business
      • Gardening History
      • Gardening Humor
      • Gardening Mishaps
      • Gardening Poems
      • Gardening Romance
      • Gardening Science
      • Gardening with Kids
      • Healing Gardens
      • Joy of Gardening
      • Mystical Gardens
      • Ornamental Gardening
    • Growing Fruits & Berries
    • Indoor Gardening
    • Pests & Diseases
    • Seeds & Seedlings
    • Soil & Fertilizer
    • Spice & Herb Gardening
    • Vegetable Gardening
    • Watering & Irrigation
  • Freebies
  • Videos
  • Magazines
    • Food Gardening Magazine
    • GreenPrints Magazine
    • RecipeLion Magazine
  • Books
    • GuideBooks
    • Cookbooks
      • Beverages
      • Bakery
      • Breakfast
      • Appetizers
      • Salads & Dressings
      • Soups
      • Entrées
      • Side Dishes & Sauces
      • Desserts
    • Story Collections
    • StoryBooks
    • Recipe Collections
  • Kits
    • Garden Calendars
    • Garden Plans
    • Recipe Cards
    • Greeting Cards
    • ArtPrints
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Affiliate Program
  • Sponsor Program
  • Give a Gift
  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
  • Authors
  • GreenPrints Writer’s Guidelines
  • Keyword Index
  • Join
Crochet, Food Gardening, Knitting, Quilting, Rug Hooking, Sewing
Celebrating 5 Years!

Food Gardening Network

Growing food, fun & more

Give a GiftJoin
Visit Our Amazon Store!
  • Daily
    • Buyers Guides
    • Composting
    • Container Gardening
    • Easy Healthy Recipes
    • Food Preservation
    • Garden Design
    • Garden Tools
    • Gardening Life
      • Animals in the Garden
      • Funny Business
      • Gardening History
      • Gardening Humor
      • Gardening Mishaps
      • Gardening Poems
      • Gardening Romance
      • Gardening Science
      • Gardening with Kids
      • Healing Gardens
      • Joy of Gardening
      • Mystical Gardens
      • Ornamental Gardening
    • Growing Fruits & Berries
    • Indoor Gardening
    • Pests & Diseases
    • Seeds & Seedlings
    • Soil & Fertilizer
    • Spice & Herb Gardening
    • Vegetable Gardening
    • Watering & Irrigation
  • Freebies
  • Videos
  • Magazines
    • Food Gardening Magazine
    • GreenPrints Magazine
    • RecipeLion Magazine
  • Books
    • GuideBooks
    • Cookbooks
      • Beverages
      • Bakery
      • Breakfast
      • Appetizers
      • Salads & Dressings
      • Soups
      • Entrées
      • Side Dishes & Sauces
      • Desserts
    • Story Collections
    • StoryBooks
    • Recipe Collections
  • Kits
    • Garden Calendars
    • Garden Plans
    • Recipe Cards
    • Greeting Cards
    • ArtPrints
  • Visit Our Amazon Store!|
  • Sign In
  • Search

How to Save Root-Bound Tomato Plants Before It’s Too Late

How to Save Root-Bound Tomato Plants Before It's Too Late

Do you have root-bound tomato plants? Find out how to help them (and get some tasty tomatoes out of the deal).

By Amanda MacArthur | August 18, 2022

plant transplant seedlings

There are some opinions out there about what to do with root-bound tomato plants. Quite a few people seem to believe that the best thing is to just dump them in the compost pile. Other people don’t see any problem with root-bound tomato plants as long as you care for them. 

I look at it this way. If I’ve got room, I might as well work with every tomato plant I can. Even if one or two don’t grow or produce well, it’s no loss, really. But if I don’t have space and have to make a choice between two tomatoes, I’m going with the healthiest one. What I won’t do is toss a tomato (or any other plant) into the compost heap just because I don’t “think” it will produce. 

That said, is there any merit to the idea of getting rid of root-bound tomato plants? At some point, the roots may get so dense and bound up that the plant won’t be able to absorb water or nutrients and may die. But up until that point, you could have a chance to save it. Here’s what to do.

Discover 7 top tips for growing, harvesting, and enjoying tomatoes from your home garden—when you access the FREE guide The Best Way to Grow Tomatoes, right now!

Recognizing and saving your root-bound tomato plants

The first question, of course, is how do we recognize root-bound tomato plants? Most of the problems you’ll find are from a lack of nutrition. Tomato roots can spread fairly wide, but in a pot, they usually don’t have the room they need to grow, so they begin growing in circles. 

When the root system gets too thick, there simply isn’t room for water and nutrients to flow through. Think of it like traffic. Drive across West Texas at night, and it’ll likely be smooth sailing. But if you want to drive from Washington, D.C. to Baltimore at 4 p.m. on a Friday afternoon, well, good luck with that. 

That’s similar to what’s going on with the tomato’s root system. Everything is fine when there’s room to spread out, but pack all those roots into a tiny container, and it’s just a mess. 

So what does that actually look like? The first thing to consider here is timing. 

For many gardeners, especially in cooler climates, the tomato growing season begins indoors. As our seeds germinate and little seedlings start to grow, the roots also grow. If they grow too much before you can transplant them outdoors, it’s possible for the young plants to get root bound in whatever container they’re in. 

The other timing factor is later in the season, especially for potted tomato plants. Those roots have been growing for months, and that 5-gallon terra cotta pot isn’t big enough. 

The Michigan State University Extension points out that root-bound tomato plants can wilt and dry out. They can also get blossom end rot because the vascular system of the plant can’t transport the nutrients the fruit needs to thrive. 

That’s all fine and good, but what will we do with our root-bound tomato plants? How are we going to save them? 

For seedlings and younger tomato plants, it’s a pretty easy fix. Just remove them from their container, tease out the roots, and transplant them into a larger container (or right into the garden if they’re ready and you already hardened them off). 

It’s a bit more complicated for larger plants. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to repot a 6-foot-tall tomato plant, but it will take some work. Honestly, if you’re at the end of your season, it might not be worth the effort and the potential of ruining any tomatoes on the vine. 

If, however, you have a greenhouse or are in a warmer climate, grab one or two of your most patient gardening friends. Gather all your supplies, such as fresh soil, a larger container, a small trowel, and anything else you may need. 

VERY carefully tilt the plant on its side with someone holding the vine, so it doesn’t break. Then gently pry the plant from the container and massage the root ball and soil to loosen things up. This could take a while, and you will likely break more than a few roots. 

Add some fresh potting mix to your new container, place the tomato plant into the container, then top it off with more potting mix. 

Water the plant, but don’t fertilize it right away. Plants aren’t especially fond of getting moved around, so you don’t want to overdo things and shock the system too much. 

With a bit of luck, our formerly root-bound tomato plants will start looking better in a week or so, and we will get some delicious tomatoes. 

Have you had to repot root-bound tomato plants? How did it work out? 

If you need some supplies for your tomatoes, here are some items you might find helpful.

  • 62-inch tomato cages 
  • 10-gallon grow bags
  • Coast of Maine Tomato Potting Blend

Note: Food Gardening Network contains links to affiliate websites, including Amazon and Rakuten Affiliate Network, and we may receive a commission for any eligible purchases made by you through links on this page. Any reviews are based on honest reviews of the products.

Discover 7 top tips for growing, harvesting, and enjoying tomatoes from your home garden—when you access the FREE guide The Best Way to Grow Tomatoes, right now!

« The 5 Best Watering Cans: Gardener-Approved!
Celebrating the Flower Moon and Beyond »

Related Posts

  • How to Cut Broccoli off the Plant and Keep it Growing
  • The Bush Pickle Cucumber Chronicles
  • 20 Gardening Myths Busted

Tags

compost heap, food gardening, food gardening network, grow bags, potting mix, root-bound tomato plants, the compost, tomato growing season, tomato roots, tomatoes

Comments

Click here to cancel reply.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Give a Gift

FREEBIE!

With your FREEBIE, you’ll also receive regular email messages from the Food Gardening Network. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Your email address is private. We promise never to sell, rent or disclose your email address to third parties.

Freebies

  • Worst Best Gardening Jokes Calendar
  • 5 Easy Healthy Carrot Recipes
  • 5 Easy Healthy Lemon Recipes
  • 5 Easy Healthy Salsa Recipes
  • 5 Easy Healthy Apple Recipes
  • 5 Easy Healthy Chicken Breast Recipes
  • Top 11 Food Gardening Tools You Need to Succeed
  • A Printable Companion Planting Chart
  • Plants for Bug Control Chart
  • Printable Seed Germination Temperature Chart
  • Printable Tomato Garden-to-Table Chart
  • Planning Your Perfect Food Garden
  • Printable Butterfly Garden Planting Chart
  • The Best Way to Grow Tomatoes
  • Printable Composting 101 Charts
  • How to Master Spice and Herb Gardening at Home
  • Printable Monthly Gardening Calendar
  • 10 Best Garden Poems of All Time
  • Vegetable Garden Planting Chart Freebie
  • Printable Flower Garden Companion Planting Chart
  • 10 Things You Can Grow That Your Pet Will LOVE To Eat!
  • Rose Garden Planting Chart Freebie
  • Printable Kitchen Garden Planting Charts
  • Sunflower Garden Planting Chart Freebie
  • Seasonal ArtPrints Collection Kit Sampler
  • Sampler: Gardening Humor
  • Sampler: Wit, Wisdom, & Learning
  • Gardening in Every Season
  • How to Start a Freedom Garden
  • Recipes from Your Garden
  • Sampler: Animals in the Garden
  • Sampler: Healing Gardens
  • Sampler: Joy of Gardening
  • Growing Vegetables Indoors for Beginners
  • 15 Easiest Fruits to Grow at Home
  • How to Grow a Vegetable Garden

Browse Topics

  • Buyers Guides
  • Composting
  • Container Gardening
  • Easy Healthy Recipes
  • Food Preservation
  • Garden Design
  • Garden Tools
  • Gardening Life
  • Growing Fruits & Berries
  • Indoor Gardening
  • Ornamental Gardening
  • Pests & Diseases
  • Seeds & Seedlings
  • Soil & Fertilizer
  • Spice & Herb Gardening
  • Uncategorized
  • Vegetable Gardening
  • Watering & Irrigation

Buyers Guides:

  • 9 Automated Garden Tools for Effortless Growing
  • 12 Cool Gardening Tools and Gifts for the Plant Lover in Your Life
  • Choosing the Best Shovel for Your Gardening Needs
  • 10 Gardening Tools for Seniors That Actually Make a Difference
  • This Countertop Compost Machine Turns Scraps into Compost in a Few Hours
  • 10+ Food Gardening Gadgets We Love
  • 15 Adaptive and Accessible Gardening Tools and Raised Beds
  • 13 Canning Tools, Supplies & Equipment You Need
  • The 3 Best Gardening Shoes
  • 5+ Best Bird Deterrents for Gardens
  • Shop Our Amazon Store

Authors:

  • Bill Dugan
  • Amanda MacArthur
  • Mike McGrath
  • Don Nicholas
  • Norann Oleson
  • Christy Page
  • Becky Rupp
  • Beth Rush
  • Pat Stone
  • Diana Wells

Enter Your Log In Credentials

This setting should only be used on your home or work computer.

  • Lost your password? Create New Password
  • No account? Sign up

Need Assistance?

Call Food Gardening Network Customer Service at
(800) 777-2658

Food Gardening Network is an active member of the following industry associations:

  • American Horticultural Society
  • GardenComm Logo
  • GardenComm Laurel Media Award
  • MCMA logo
  • Join Now
  • Learn More
  • About Food Gardening Network
  • Contact Us
  • Affiliate Program
  • Sponsor Program
  • Give a Gift
  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

Food Gardening Network
99 Derby Street, Suite 200
Hingham, MA 02043
support@foodgardening.mequoda.com

To learn more about our Email Marketing and Broadcasting Services, Exchange Program, or to become a marketing partner with any of our publications, click here to contact us at Mequoda Publishing Network.

FREE E-Newsletter for You!

Discover how to grow, harvest, and eat good food from your own garden—with our FREE e-newsletter, delivered directly to your email inbox.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Powered by
Mequoda Publishing Network
copyright © 2025 Mequoda Systems, LLC

Food Gardening Network®, Food Gardening Magazine® and GreenPrints® are registered trademarks of Mequoda Systems, LLC.

Go to mobile version