pexels-isabel-araújo-2100238
Tracey Cole

Tracey Cole

Ten Commandments of Container Gardening

Merry Xmas to All

Gather round for a lesson from the Gospel of Gardening. Put on your best overalls and finest gardening gloves, pull up your wheelbarrow to the potting shed, and sit back on your weeding stool as I present today’s sermon on the
“Ten Commandments of Container Gardening.”

1. Thou shalt begin with soil. Success begins with what’s in your soil.

Just like Grandma used to say, “It’s what’s on the inside that counts,” having the right type of soil for container plantings is vital to growing season-long plantings, whether they are herbs, vegetables, annuals, or perennials. You want what is often referred to as “soilless soil,” a product that is a well-draining mixture of compost, vermiculite, peat moss, and water retention particles that is free of soilborne diseases and weeds

2.Thou shalt let the sun guide you in everything you do.

Just like Grandma used to say, “It’s what’s on the inside that counts,” having the right type of soil for container plantings is vital to growing season-long plantings, whether they are herbs, vegetables, annuals, or perennials. You want what is often referred to as “soilless soil,” a product that is a well-draining mixture of compost, vermiculite, peat moss, and water retention particles that is free of soilborne diseases and weeds

3. Thou shalt not covet your neighbor’s abilities.

Know your own gardening limitations; take an honest look at your time constraints or physical limitations and plant only what you can maintain. Choose low-maintenance annual plants, such as mandevilla, allamanda, begonia, duranta, caladium, or Kimberly queen ferns, for summer containers if you know you have little time for deadheading and watering. Install irrigation tubing to your containers if you know you’ll be traveling or working long past watering hours.

4. Thou shalt know who your plant’s friends are

Plants are combined because they have similar sun requirements and watering needs. In general, plants that like full sun and dry soil need to be planted with other plants that are happy in those same cultural conditions. It is also important to understand the plant options

5. Thou shalt remember your container, and keep it holey

A container without a drainage hole is a water garden. Make sure it has good drainage. Most plants do not like to be waterlogged and tend to die more quickly from root rot than from drying out.

6. Thou shalt always loosen the rootball of plants before planting them in a container

Use either your fingers or the blade of your trowel to loosen the rootball before you put it into the planter to ensure that the roots start to reach out into the soil rather than keep wrapping around the root system

7. Thou shalt make sure to know the mature size plants will grow during a growing season.

Instant gratification is a common theme in our society, so folks often will plant way too many plants in early spring just to fill up a container, only to find that the only plant that they see in August is one cute little sweet potato vine that overtook the other plants in the containers. Carefully read the height and width potentials of your baby plants. They can become container thugs.

8. Thou shalt not forget to fertilize!

Annual plants are generally heavy feeders, so use both a slow-release fertilizer at planting. Then regularly feed throughout the season with fertilizers such as Colorburst, Bloombooster.

9. Thou shalt regularly check for pests and diseases.

Have a look at our articles on garden pests :

10. Thou shalt remember the words of Hortius Culturii, “A plant without fertilizer is weak. A plant without water is dead.”

Don’t forget to water your plants. Use a showerhead-type nozzle, which mimics a slow
steady rainfall, when you water.

A harsh jet spray of water may seem like a quick way to water plants but this will blow off the top layers of soil and leave roots more exposed to the elements.

It is best when watering a container to give it a good soaking so that water saturates all the soil
in the container. This will encourage the plant roots to grow deeper into the planter, which will
draw water during warmer or drier times.

A layer of pine fines, sand, moss, or rocks on top of the soil when you are finished planting will also help hold moisture in the soil.

Remember to always leave one-half to one inch of space between the top of the planter and the top of the soil so that water has a place to pool before soaking into the potting mix. If the level of potting
soil is above the rim of the planter, your water could quickly run out of the container and onto
the ground without soaking in deeply, and soil around the roots could be washed away.

More advice and articles :

Let us know how we can assist.

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
WhatsApp