I laughed at a post about stress but I take a long butcher knife and drive it in about 6-8 times all the way down. I read roots split and rejuvenate just like the top of the plant does. I only do this on really long flowering plants in peat mixes because they tend to compress into a puck of sorts. They love it. Never set a plant back doing it and many times bud I thought was almost done started bulking up like mad.