Best way to empty 3 very large pots?

Jon_01

We have 3 pots with Bamboo in the garden.

The pots are 1.2 m across and 80cm deep. The Bamboo has been there for 5 years and is now mostly root.

We were both out there yesterday almost all day and only managed to empty about two thirds of one pot! (And filled around 30 rubble sacks.)  In the end we had to saw bits off to get them out as a spade wouldn't cut through the root.

We can't tip them over, as they weigh far too much to move.

Am I missing a trick to do this?  Or is it simply just a matter of sawing bits off!

Any ideas would be most appreciated, thanks. . .

Emmia

Presumably you want to reuse the pots?

You'll probably need to keep hacking a way at the plant, if you can't tip them over

Brie

I had an infestation of weeds in a much smaller plastic pot that eventually cracked in 3 places trying to get the weeds out.  Even with that I could remove the weeds!!  If you don't want to reuse your pots (plastic or otherwise) you could try cracking them.  But a non plastic pot of the size you state is a fairly valuable item so I understand if you want to keep/reuse/sell it.  

re the rubble bags....how are they working out?  When I was emptying a garden of a lot of stone the rubble bags were not really up to the task, very expensive and too heavy to lift when they didn't split open.  I found the shopping for life plastic bags from the local Tesco much sturdier and significantly cheaper.  And they had handles which made carrying easier.  

-taff

Unless you know someone with a small digger, it's elbow grease power time. Or if you know someone with a chainsaw that would probably be a quicker bet.

Farway

Maybe a power washer? At least it could remove any semblance of soil holding roots in.

Green_hopeful

For much smaller pots. We use a bread knife around the edges and then tip them on their side and poke a stick up the drain holes and hit it with a mallet. We keep an old serrated bread knife for the purpose. Not sure if it will work for you but worth a try. 

Flugelhorn

Farway said:

Maybe a power washer? At least it could remove any semblance of soil holding roots in.

sounds amazingly messy but might work


definitely a case of keep digging until you can get them on their sides 

Jon_01

Brie said:

I had an infestation of weeds in a much smaller plastic pot that eventually cracked in 3 places trying to get the weeds out.  Even with that I could remove the weeds!!  If you don't want to reuse your pots (plastic or otherwise) you could try cracking them.  But a non plastic pot of the size you state is a fairly valuable item so I understand if you want to keep/reuse/sell it.  

re the rubble bags....how are they working out?  When I was emptying a garden of a lot of stone the rubble bags were not really up to the task, very expensive and too heavy to lift when they didn't split open.  I found the shopping for life plastic bags from the local Tesco much sturdier and significantly cheaper.  And they had handles which made carrying easier.  

Unfortunately, we need to reuse the pots.

I got 40 sack from Tesco, of all places. They call them 'DIY sacks'. They're thick enough to not split, we've had no problems with them do far.

FreeBear

-taff said:

Unless you know someone with a small digger, it's elbow grease power time. Or if you know someone with a chainsaw that would probably be a quicker bet.

Running a chainsaw through soil will wreck the chain (know from experience). A sabresaw with a carbide tipped blade is the way to go with bamboo roots.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6441703/getting-rid-of-bamboo

Jon_01

-taff said:

Unless you know someone with a small digger, it's elbow grease power time. Or if you know someone with a chainsaw that would probably be a quicker bet.

I did think about a chain saw, or even a reciprocating saw, but I assumed the soil would jam them?

fatbelly

I have a coarse toothed hand saw that I use for a lot of garden applications.