Once you find the taste to grow in pots, you will see that every year you will have more and more pots. Here are some of my top tips for doing well with your container garden.
If you are about to start your garden in pots, it is important that you read and reflect on these 10 tips that will save you many of the headaches that we all had as beginners #huerto #Huertourbano #Jardin #Jardineria #Cultivar
1.- It's never too much drainage
Believe it or not, this is the most important advice that I am going to give you, it can be a matter of life or death for your plants. When there isn't a hole big enough for water to come out of your pot, the soil gets too wet and the roots of your plants can rot, causing the plant to die.
The bad news is that many garden pots being sold simply don't have enough drainage. Drainage can often be increased by drilling or carving larger holes.
However, in some cases it will be easier to purchase a pot that has sufficient drainage. The minimum size for a drainage hole is 1 cm in diameter for small to medium pots.
For larger containers, ensure at least 3 cm in diameter.
It is a myth that adding gravel, pot shards, or rocks to the bottom of the container will increase drainage.
Some people even say that you don't need drainage holes if you put these things in the bottom of the pots.
Unless you're a container wizard, and can water perfectly, or have a plant that likes moist soil (and there are some that do), you need holes in your pots, and where possible many holes.
2.- Evaluate your light
People often overestimate the amount of sun their containers get. While you can find a plant that's great for almost any amount of light, you should know how much light your pot will receive before choosing your plants.
To find out how much direct light your container will get, place it where you want it and then determine how long it gets sun.
3.- Feed your plants
Most potting soils do not have nutrients accessible to your plants, so you must add them.
The vast majority of plants will need the addition of fertilizers in order to thrive. You can mix a slow-release fertilizer into the potting mix.
To do this, you can mix a large amount of potting soil with fertilizer in a bucket, or you can fill the pot with potting soil and then mix in the fertilizer.
Then fertilize every week or two with a liquid fertilizer, usually a fish emulsion, seaweed mix. It smells really bad but it really helps to give the plants the nutrition they need.
A lot of people use triple 15 or similar, although this fertilizer will feed your plants and help them grow, the downside is that if you start using it, you will have to continue using this fertilizer forever, because this type of synthetic fertilizer will kill the beneficial organisms that exist in the soil.
Organic gardening depends on these organisms, so once you've used Triple 15, you'll either have to marry it or find another synthetic fertilizer, because your soil is dead.
4.- Make a list before going to buy plants
One of the best ways to avoid wasting time at the nursery, or at least minimize it, is to decide what you want to buy before you go to the nursery and make a list.
This list doesn't even have to have the exact plants. Try to create a list with at least the number and sizes of your pots, and what is the goal you are pursuing with each plant, so that you can get plants that fit your pots and know if you need plants for sun or shade or anything else.
If possible, it's a good idea to bring your pot or a picture of your pots with you.
Get advice from the people at the nursery to know the amount of sun your plants require
5 .- Plant good companions
When you choose plants for your container, make sure they go well together. This means that all the plants in a pot must require the same amount of light and humidity. If you mix plants with different needs, some of them will not thrive.
So, for example, if you have a plant that requires full sun, it's important that all the plants you choose for that pot also require full sun. If you have a plant that likes to dry out between waterings, you don't want to put it in a pot with plants that like moist soil.
6.- Learn the name of your plants, the characteristics and needs of each one
How big will your plant be? How much light, water and food do you need? How much care will you need? Is it annual or perennial? and if it is a perennial plant, in which region will it survive?
What are your “habits”? What does its shape mean and how will it grow? This is important when considering your container layout and how to arrange plant combinations.
For example, if you have a large pot, you might want some "upright habit" plants to give your design height and then some "mound habit" plants to complete the design. To finish your pot, you can choose plants with "creeping or hanging habits", to cover the sides of your pot.
7.- Sometimes plants die
The more plants you grow, the more plants will die on you. It's that easy. Even the most expert gardeners are the biggest plant killers.
It's a fact of gardening life.
The trick is knowing when to give up a plant. For example if you have a garden in a large container, it makes sense to give up a plant fairly early, so that the container doesn't look ugly. You don't have to feel guilty or frustrated about it.
When a plant starts looking awful, you have two options. Depending on the plant, you can prune it back dramatically and hope for the best.
For many plants, this is all that is needed, and within a few weeks, your plant will be back roaring, happy, and beautiful.
You can remove the withered plant and put another plant in its place. Depending on how dead and/or precious the plant is, you can try to rehabilitate it by replanting and nursing it until it regrows or you just can't stand the way it looks any longer.
However, if your plant shows signs of serious disease, remove it immediately, return it to an insulated pot and quarantine it, or put it in a plastic bag and dispose of it.
8.- Acclimate your plants
Many plants do not like sudden changes, and if they are acclimated over a period of time to changes in light, exposure to the elements, water, or temperature, they will generally be happier. This is particularly important with young plants and is essential for most plants that have spent their lives in the pampered climate of a greenhouse.
When you buy seedlings in the spring, or if growing from seed in a greenhouse, you should harden off your plants. This is a slow process, but if you don't, the chances of your plants thriving will be significantly reduced.
If you live in a colder climate and plan to put your plants under cover for the winter, they will also need an adjustment period to get used to the light and drier indoor air.
9.- The more potting soil, the better
There are many people out there who will tell you to put all kinds of rubbish at the bottom of your containers to take up space and lighten the pot: from Styrofoam balls to empty containers. While this will make your planter box much lighter, it will also make it more difficult to maintain because it will dry out faster.
The more potting soil you use, the more water retention you will have, giving you a much greater margin of error when it comes to watering and feeding your plants.
10.- Choose your garden according to your lifestyle
Here's the truth: container gardening can be quite a demanding job. It requires time and attention, and while it doesn't have to be expensive, it can be.
And this is also true: there is no such thing as a foolproof plant or a foolproof gardening instruction manual, even if you cover all your bases, some plants will thrive and others won't.
This is both the good news and the bad. All the uncertainty and hard work makes the whole endeavor exciting, rewarding, and endless.
To have the most fun and increase your chances of success with any type of gardening, evaluate how you live before you dive into it.
No matter what the answer, there are container gardens to fit your lifestyle.
Don't you like watering? Grow succulents and other drought-resistant plants. Don't have a lot of extra money? Craft your bins out of found items or check out fairgrounds and thrift stores.
If you have a formal entryway and want your planters to look more elegant, choose large containers with classic shapes and plant them with exotic, showy plants.
Whatever your style, there are plants that can work for you. You just have to do a little research and experimentation to find what works.
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Gardening