The color and foliage of planters and container fade and fails, and they become worn out and tired by mid-summer.
The higher the temperature, the more the leaves and blossoms shrink and die.
This doesn’t need to be the story of your woes this year. Doing just one thing differently can make your containers flourish and thrive all summer.
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It sounds good. Yes, it is! Let’s first look at all the steps you can take to make your pots and containers display a show-stopping display this season.
Botanical Beauty Containers
It’s easy to make a container that looks good. Nurseries and garden centers have a wide selection of healthy, beautiful plants. It’s hard to keep them looking great from spring to autumn.
Here are some tips on maintaining and creating a stunning display throughout the summer.
Choose the Right Pot
To create a sturdy planter, the first thing to do is choose the right pot size. Several factors determine this.
Too small a planter will result in crowded roots, leading to nutrient, oxygen, and water shortages essential for healthy, vigorous growth.
Too large containers can cause soil to become overly wet, suffocating the roots and cutting off oxygen. The excellent, moist conditions often found in large planters can also be a breeding ground for fungi. Powdery Mildew, leaf spot, and Damping off are all common fungi.
You can arrange bedding plants, season kitchen herbs, and annuals a bit closer than the plants in the ground to create a healthy and beautiful display.
If the recommended spacing, for example, is 10-12 inches, then plants that do well in containers should be spaced about 6-8 inches.
As a rule of thumb, if your plants grow between 10-12 inches high, you will want to use a pot with a diameter slightly larger than half, around 6-8 inches. A larger pool with a diameter of 24 inches would be suitable for plants that reach a height between 24-36 inches.
To allow water to drain quickly, your pot needs drainage holes and drainage material at the bottom.
If you want to add more weight, packing chips, and peanuts will do the trick. However, there are some concerns about Styrene leaching into food.
The controversy began after the National Toxicology Program published its report on carcinogens in 2011. It reported, “Styrene can be reasonably expected to cause cancer in humans …”. It also stated that low levels of Styrene found in packaged foods were mainly due to the leaching of polystyrene from the containers in which they were packed.
The report concluded, however, that the low leaching levels were still within acceptable health standards. The most significant risk is occupational exposure in industries that use this material over a long period.
Drainage can be achieved using gravel, broken pottery, pinecones, and sticks.
Container plants do not like having wet feet. That is, their roots sitting in the water make them unhappy.
Most bedding plants will suffer from a wet environment and perform poorly. The roots could rot and ruin your planters.
It is essential to drain the potted roots to allow them to access oxygen. They cannot do so in a container, making it harder to “breathe.”
Are you a succulent grower? See our guide on the best containers to use with these plants.
Plan your planting
The garden center can have the same effect on us as a candy store does on children. “I need six of these, and I want to buy a flat full of pretty pink ones …”
A little discernment and self-discipline will help you choose the best plants for your location. Selecting plants suited to your area will be easier with some understanding (and self-discipline).
Choose plants that thrive in the climate and lighting conditions of your home. If you want to mix different plants in one pot, choose ones with similar water and light requirements.
Add some foliage plants to your pots. They will fill them out and add a sense of unity, bringing the whole thing together.
Your potted garden scape will be more dynamic and exciting if you add plants with different heights or bloom times. This will change as the seasons progress.
The season will be extended using summer flowering bulbs such as gladiolas and canna lilies. Caladiums.
Create Nutrient-Rich soil
What a great thing to be an adult who can still play in the dirt!!
We’re no longer serving mud pies. We must be garden stewards to provide our bedding plants with a rich environment.
Compost or manure that has been well-rotted can be added to your soil at a rate of 20-25%. This will improve the soil in several ways. It improves the tilth or body structure of the soil, which aids in retaining and absorbing nutrients and moisture and reduces compaction.
It is better to use container soil containing moisture-retaining materials, like perlite, vermiculite, sphagnum, or peat. This should be around 20% of the total volume. Compost or manure is also needed to provide nutrients.
Compost or manure that has been well-rotted can be added to your soil at a rate of 20-25%. This will improve the ground in several ways. It enhances the tilth or body structure of the earth, which aids in retaining and absorbing nutrients and moisture and reduces compaction. It can also act as a pH equalizer because have lost neutrality.
Mix your ingredients in large batches to fit several pots. You can use a wheelbarrow or a significant bin. If you buy a growing mix, ensure it is loose and light enough to allow for drainage while retaining moisture.
Recycle the container soil by replacing at least two-thirds with new ground.
It would be best if you did not recycle or compost soils that have had sick or failing plants in them. Spores and other harmful organisms can survive in the ground after removing plants. Use fresh ground in each pot.