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Potted plants are no longer just for Mother’s Day. Container gardening has become an event in its own right and gardeners grow flowers, vegetables and herbs in containers ranging from shells to old bathtubs. Potted gardening has many advantages and makes sowing accessible even if you don’t have a well-drained yard or soil. But the rules for helping plants thrive in containers are slightly different from bed gardening.
Container gardening tricks successful
Here are my top 5 container gardening tips that will take you very far to lush healthy plant pots.
Use containers with adequate drainage holes
Most plants don’t like to sit on wet soil. That’s why “well-draining soil” is one of the most common cultural care requirements on plant labels. Water should pass through the soil, moisten the roots, then drain away. In garden beds, nature takes care of drainage (in most cases). But the containers are built to hold objects, including water.
Successful Container Gardening TricksIf the holes in the bottom do not give water a way out, the soil remains moist and the roots rot. Small pots need holes of at least ½ inch (1.2 cm) in diameter, while large pots need holes twice as large. You can buy containers with adequate drainage holes or put large holes yourself, but don’t rely on rocks or gravel. At the bottom of a pot, these can stop drainage rather than encourage it.
Buy good soil
It seems that an economic potting soil is not the deal. To keep plants healthy in containers, the soil should contain generous amounts of peat, compost, perlite, vermiculite and rotted manure. What about the soil in your backyard? Just say no. Normal soil can compact into a hardened mass in a container. Even in a container, healthy soil is equivalent to healthy plants.
Feed your container plants
Most of the soil does not include fertilizers, but container plants need nutrients. It is a good idea to mix slow-release or timed fertilizers in the soil before planting. This type of fertilizer is soluble in water but enclosed in a resin coating. Every time you water, some fertilizer is released.
You can also use liquid fertilizers mixed with irrigation water every few weeks. If you opt for liquid fertilizer, do not apply it on dry soil or it could cause damage. Water the soil first, then water again with the fertilizer.
Group plants with similar solar requirements into containers
The containers will be in the sun or in the shade. This means that each green leaf in a single pot will experience the same amount of rays. Understand before planting the optimal exposure for each of the plants. For containers intended for direct sun, include only plants that thrive in direct sun. Plants that prefer shade should be grouped with other shade lovers. This makes sense, but many container plants have died because the gardener is not vigilant about it.
The thriller-filler-spiller formula works even better
It has been said so many times that it’s a bit of a cliche, but it works. Designing a plant container using the thriller, the filler, the spiller method – with a tall “thriller” plant, a thick “filler” plant, and something “spilling” on the sides – is still a great way to create an attractive presentation while helps plants thrive containers.
