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Guides and Information
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HOW? THE CONTAINER - should be one that you like, because, as in the picture above (photo and design, DG member rcn 48, of Betula Filigree Lace), the container can contribute as much to the pleasing aesthetic qualities of the final product as the plant does. The Container Gardening Forum is sure to have some unusual ideas, as do recent articles by other Dave's Garden authors (referenced below). The pot should hold enough dirt (or soil-less growing medium) to hold moisture until the next time you water. The most important factor in a container's suitability is does it have a drainage hole? I believe more plants have been killed by overwatering rather than underwatering. Your container must have a drainage hole! In many cases, if the pot is not completely irreplaceable, you may be able to drill one yourself, using a drill bit designed for drilling pottery and keeping a steady flow of cold water dribbling over the drill bit while drilling. THE MIX - I started out by scraping up dirt from the yard and putting it into a pot. This is a mistake (not to mention tough to do, with my compacted city dirt). Although many, many sources will tell you ordinary potting mix (from a bag) is fine, DG member Tapla advocates a rapidly draining mix of pine bark fines (very small pieces of partially composted pine bark), grit or vermiculite, and other ingredients. You can access his thread here. Again, it all comes down to drainage. Different soils are sold in bags for different plants - orchid potting soil, cactus potting soil, etc. Those may be fine for those specific purposes, or you can blend your own. What you want is a mix that will allow the water and any built-up fertilizer salts to drain completely every time you water while aerating the roots thoroughly. Most people wind up using some type of soil-less potting medium. After all, dirt is just a vehicle to provide the roots of the plant with oxygen and water - which we need too! Plants, like people and other living things, also need nutrients, like phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and nitrogen (N), as well as various micronutrients. Be sure to include these in your plant's diet, usually with some type of "all-purpose" fertilizer. Should you use moisture retaining crystals? Some people are strongly in favor of them. Others, like me, are wary of damaging the environment. But then, I live in the North East which has been getting enough water for a while and in a town with an unusually high water table. We have too much water, not a shortage. I guess, in the end, it comes down to individual trial and error, and how often you're able to water. As fellow DG author Lee Anne Stark points out, each time you water can be a time to assess the overall health of the plant . one more thing about drainage: contrary to what you will read, on this site and in other sources, a layer of gravel in the bottom of the pot doesn't help drainage. It reduces the amount of soil available to supply oxygen and water to the roots of the plant. To ensure drainage, as well as having the drainage hole, be sure your plant in its pot is not sitting in a damp puddled spot, but is on well-draining earth. You can even put the whole pot on that layer of gravel .
THE PLANTS - many, many different types of plants are suitable for planting in containers, at least for a while. We've all seen coleus, African violets or potted palms. Who hasn't stuck impatiens, pansies or zonal geraniums into a window box? In my tiny backyard, I grow nearly everything in containers, at least while the plant and I are deciding whether we like each other o But did you know that you can pot perennials in containers? It's slightly trickier, but it can certainly be done. I frequently pot up a perennial in a container for the summer while I'm deciding which one of my tiny beds has space for one more plant. If you wish to situate a perennial in a pot permanently, choose a plant hardy enough to handle a winter two or more zones colder than yours is, since the pot offers less protection from the elements than being sunk in the ground would. And the pot needs to be tougher too - nothing dainty or breakable if it's to survive freezes and thaws. If it can be thick (fiberglass? wood? brick? stone?) that's certainly a plus, although I confess my yard is full of plastic pots (as well as broken pretty ceramics). The Helenium on the right is ready to be squeezed into a permanent spot - as soon as I find one. We've go
For more information... try some of these great forums right here at Dave's Garden:
And here are some Dave's Garden articles that are about containers or growing various plants in them: Make a Planter From Blue Jeans Container Gardening to the Max
To find more, go the article search feature. Here's how... at the top of any page, click on the tab that says "Guides and Information" - it's along the top. The tabs will appear in red then, and a menu on the right-hand side of the page with "Guides and Information" in red at the top will appear. The first on the list (which includes PlantFiles, Gardenology, and so on) is Articles. By clicking on "Articles" a window opens, which will search all articles currently in the database for the term that you type into the window. In the upper right hand corner of the page, click on "Articles". I searched for "container" and for "pot". Good luck!
Subject: Really helpful links !
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WHY?
r not. I plant annuals (cosmos, left), herbs, and occasionally even vegetables in containers.This summer, I plan to try Jan's patio single-serving canteloupes!
tten to know each other, I know that it's red and not yellow, and how tall it gets. The poor plant has had a chance to experience how bad a New England winter can be. Helenium is supposed to be quite hardy, so I don't feel that this was a huge risk. If I were worried, I could have planted it in the fall, or wrapped it in burlap or leaves or both, or even put it in a sheltered location for the winter, although my containers are already nestled in the crook between the kitchen and the garage.
