Container plants on my patio.

Container Gardening:

Container Gardening is both rewarding and challenging, nothing changes the atmosphere of an area more than some potted plants. Plants give off Negative charged Ions (the good ones) and can and will change what a room or area feels like just by being there. They clean the air to provide colour and break up an expansive wall the same as a wall hanging.

The key to successful Container Gardening is getting Potting Mix to match the plant you are growing. There isn’t one mix that fits all, most plants will grow in a good quality Potting Mix but some need a little bit extra to ensure success. Generally only add 25% of raw materials to the original mix

Think of the natural environment of plant you are going to grow in a pot and then make a Potting mix to suit. If you are going to grow Cacti and the likes, their natural habitat is dry, so you will need to add some sand and small pebbles to their mix. This will ensure the mix doesn’t get wet or hold excessive moisture which will rot the roots of your plant. Another good rule of thumb for this group is don’t use a saucer under the pot unless you really have to, this makes sure all the excess water you give them leaves the pot.

Ferns which I discuss in another part of this site need a mix that will holds the moisture and high in Organic Matter. A mix that holds onto moisture creates high humidity something ferns love. Adding 25% Compost to Potting Mix for ferns will yield great results.

When growing Container Plants outside use water holding crystals, there are heaps on the market and some better quality Potting Mixes have them in them already. These absorb the water you apply and then release it when the Mix is starting to dry out during the day. More plants die from lack of water than anything else when grown in containers.

To this end always make sure the pot you are using is big enough for the plant you want to grow. When growing vegetables in pots the bigger the better, for say a Beefsteak Tomato use a Pot that holds twenty litres of Potting Mix to give the roots somewhere to grow.

Any Vegetables that I grow in Pots I add Cow and or Sheep Manure in the bottom half of the pot, as the plant grows and needs more nutrients at the flowering or fruiting time the roots are usually getting into the second half of the pot where the Manure is and this gives them a lift.

The bigger the pot the less chance of the plant drying out. You can use smaller pots but you may find yourself having to water twice a day and fertilise a lot more than you planned as the roots of the plant have exhausted the nutrients in the mix.

Like the fern mix add 25% Compost to your standard Potting Mix for Vegetables to give it a bit more guts and water holding capacity. Add either Cow or Sheep Manure at the ratio of 10% to give them some added nutrients in an Organic form.

 Herbs lend themselves well to growing in pots on a window ledge, you can buy long narrow pots that will house four or five Herb plants that can be picked fresh as you need them, dry the surplus for winter when they slow up. Annual flowering plants do well in the same situation, discard them as they finish for something new for that season.

There are two ways of fertilising your Container Plants, one with Commercial three or six-month slow-release chemical fertiliser or my preferred method added Animal Manure in the mix and regular liquid fish and seaweed fertiliser. I have used both and swear by the Manure/Liquid feed combination for the best results.

Watch where you place your Container Plants, avoid concrete or paving stones in hot climates, the heat off the concrete can literally bake the soil in the pot and kill the plant. If you do live in a hot climate and the plant you are growing is outside you may need to place the pot in a bigger pot to protect it from the heat of the sun. This works by keeping the direct sun off the pots surface not letting it cook. For your all year round plants repot every year into a bigger pot to allow the roots to expand. Left in the same pot for a long time the roots will run around the outside of the pot and eventually strangle itself.

 Be Happy,

Barry.

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