From my perspective down here in the pot, it's getting incredibly crowded. My root system, which is my entire lifeline for absorbing water and nutrients, has run out of room to grow. I'm desperately trying to expand, but I keep hitting the hard, unyielding walls of my container. Instead of stretching out healthily, my roots are forced to circle around and around, tangling into a tight, dense mass. This matted web can't properly absorb what it needs from the soil, and it's becoming difficult for me to even take a full breath, as the compacted roots and soil lack the air pockets I need for respiration.
You might notice I'm wilting surprisingly quickly after you water me. This is a major cry for help. Because my root ball is so dense and occupies almost the entire pot, there's very little soil left to actually hold moisture. When you pour water in, most of it just runs down the narrow gap between my roots and the pot wall, straight out the drainage hole. My central root mass remains dry and parched. I'm literally dying of thirst while standing in a puddle, unable to access the water you're giving me.
Up there in the sunshine, the parts of me you can see are struggling because of what's happening down below. Since my restricted roots can't gather enough fuel, my growth above the soil has dramatically slowed or stopped completely. You might see my leaves turning yellow, not from lack of water alone, but from a general lack of nutrients. My new leaves may be smaller than usual, and I certainly don't have the energy to produce my vibrant, aromatic foliage as prolifically as I used to. I'm using all my energy just to survive, not to thrive.
Look at the base of my pot for the most obvious sign. The immense pressure from my expanding root mass can actually push the soil up and cause the pot itself to bulge or even crack. In plastic pots, you might see obvious deformities. You might also see my roots poking out of the drainage holes in a desperate search for new space, water, and food. This is not a subtle hint; it's a clear signal that I have become completely root bound and my container is now a prison.
As I continue to grow taller without a proportional root base to anchor me, I become unstable. The small amount of soil left can no longer counterbalance my weight. I might start leaning to one side or feel loose in my pot, threatening to topple over with the slightest bump. This instability is stressful and damages my delicate root hairs further every time I wobble.
