Spring is a little over a month away. The growing season is upon you! Remember last year when you said you wanted to grow corn, tomatoes, a peach tree, grapes, and open a plant stand? Well, let’s get you started with the basics.
What better way to get started than by giving you some tips on planting flowers in pots! You can also use these tips for fruits and vegetables too.
It matters what kind of pots and dirt you use, but it’s not rocket science or overwhelming. These are just a few tips to help you grow healthy plants in pots.
This post is all about tips on planting flowers in pots that will produce healthy plants.
You may not know this, but you can grow anything you want. Yes, really! Keep it simple. Don’t try to grow everything, and give yourself room to learn the basics. One of these basics is planting flowers in pots. If you give your plants the right foundation, you’ll be humming and singing (and watering your plants) in no time.
1. Choosing a Container Type
What type of container will you use? Plastic, glazed ceramic, terra cotta, old toolboxes? It is totally up to you and your style. However, there are some things you want to consider.
There are so many choices when it comes to containers. Lighter colored pots will not absorb the sunlight like darker colored pots. This isn’t a dealbreaker unless you are located in an extremely hot environment. Choosing a dark pot in a hot environment will likely cause stress on your plants if you don’t water them properly.
If you choose to use a 5-gallon bucket, be sure to use one that is food grade. For further information on container types, check out my related post at this link.
2. Prepping the Container
Once you have picked out a container, now you can begin to fill the pot with potting soil. You don’t need a lot of space to grow your own vegetables or flowers. This is a good time to figure out if you want to go with something organic or the regular potting soil mix. You want to try and stay away from native soil because it may not have all the nutrients that potting soil will provide for your plants. You do have the option of creating your own potting soil. If you want to keep it on the simple side, buy good quality potting soil from your local home improvement store or nursery.
If your container does not have drainage holes, be sure to drill a few drainage holes into the bottom of the container. Otherwise, the water will sit in the container and the roots will rot because of the lack of oxygen.
When filling your container with soil, start with your containers as close to your desired spot as possible. This is especially helpful when working with big containers. Once you fill the pot, it can get heavy depending on the size. Fill your container to 3/4 to leave room for your plant. You may have to adjust this depending on what you are planting (or the recommendation on your plant tag). Saturate the soil since it may be dry. Don’t worry about it being too wet since the drainage holes will release the excess water.
Remove your plant from the original container, and gently loosen the roots (don’t tear them) if they are root-bound. Set the plant in the new container, and cover it with soil. Gently compress the soil to make sure you don’t have any air pockets or empty space. Don’t fill the soil all the way to the top. You want to be able to water the soil, let it sit, and then drain down to the bottom. If you want to preserve moisture, some gardeners add a layer of mulch. Be sure your plant benefits from mulching before trying this technique.
3. Maintaining Your Potted Plants
Watering your plants is totally dependent upon the instructions included in your plant tag. Follow those directions as closely as possible! If you have chosen a terra cotta pot, you will likely have to water it more since terra cotta tends to dry the plant out more.
You don’t want to let your plants dry out. If you purchased a plant online or someone gave you a plant with no plant tag, there are apps available that will help you identify what type of plant you have by simply taking a picture. Once your plant has been identified, search for as much information as possible about that plant.
You want to give your plant some fertilizer based on what is recommended because the plant only gets nourished by what is in the container since it is not in the ground.
Sometimes you can’t help the way your gardening area is set up, but plants benefit the most from facing south because this gives it optimal sunshine for the day.
I hope this made your planting experience easier and more enjoyable! You are on your way to becoming a gardening expert!
