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.
2.Thou shalt let the sun guide you in everything you do.
3. Thou shalt not covet your neighbor’s abilities.
4. Thou shalt know who your plant’s friends are
5. Thou shalt remember your container, and keep it holey
6. Thou shalt always loosen the rootball of plants before planting them in a container
7. Thou shalt make sure to know the mature size plants will grow during a growing season.
8. Thou shalt not forget to fertilize!
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.