Any container will do!
Getting the best out of your pots
Where would we be without containers? In a country now where gardens get smaller and smaller, many people simply couldn’t garden without the use of pots, troughs and hanging baskets.
Hundreds of books have been written on the subject, but we’re just going to give you the basics. We’re not going to give you recipes and we’re not going to give you tips on how to look after your plants in containers….because that’s really no different to looking after plants in the garden borders.
What is very different, is how your plants rely on you doing the right thing by them, if you choose to put them in a container.
Hanging basket, pot, trough, chimney, bath or commode. Stone or plastic, fibreglass or concrete, there’s one common denominator here….
Your plants don’t have their feet in the soil, so they are very much more reliant on you to look after them.
Now, we won’t always say the same thing that the books do. You may disagree with us. And we won’t apologise for that. Over 30 years of learning how plants work, this is our take on how to get the best results. After all, we want you to achieve the best you possibly can!
Which compost do I use?
There are dozens to choose from!
We’ve written an article on compost already, but as far as containers go, we tend to recommend one type over any other, and that is JOHN INNES compost. Even if you add stuff to it, use John Innes as your base.
Above all else, you want to give your plants a really lovely quality soil, if they’re going to be in their container for a year or more. So you can forget this advice if you’re cramming bedding plants in a pot for six months….or a potful of crocus for a Spring display…. you can use a good quality multi purpose compost, peat based or peat free….you’ll get more for your money.
But for long term planting you’ll hear us recommend John Innes almost EVERY time…
Shrubs……John Innes
Perennials….John Innes
Trees….John Innes
Rhododendrons, Skimmias and Azaleas…….John Innes
Veggies……John Innes
Fruit bushes……John Innes
Alpines & herbs……John Innes (with added grit or perlite for perfect drainage)
Get the idea? Now depending on what it is you’re planting, you may need to add something like grit for additional drainage. That’s almost essential for things like Alpines and Herbs. You may want to mix in something like multi purpose compost for extra moisture retention, for plants like Hostas who like a little extra water at the roots.
But even moisture loving plants like Hostas and Astilbes need well aerated roots to get the very best results, so the next thing to consider…..drainage.
We’re here to help
Crocks always available free of charge!
Now it REALLY doesn’t matter what you use at the bottom of your pots, but please do use something. Broken bits of old pots…..what we call crocks….are brilliant, and if you ask us, we’ve always got some knocking about. In our car park, look for the big blue crate…help yourself!
You could use polystyrene broken into chunks. You could use grit, gravel or pebbles. You could even buy clay granules, but there really seems no point when other things do the same job, and are free.
How much to put in? Well, I’d go for 2 or 3 inches as a minimum. 4-6 inches is great if the pot is a good size. So there’s always a run-off for water if you overdo it, or if we have a wet spell. The bigger (or deeper) the pot, the more you can put in, since the roots won’t often colonise the whole compost space, particularly in huge pots…..the more drainage you put in, the more money you’ll save on compost! If you’re not sure, just ask.
Grow Happy Flowers
Put them in the right spot!
Common sense right? If you try and grow something that really doesn’t like where you’ve put it, you stand a good chance of being disappointed. If you’ve got a blazing hot patio, don’t plant a fern. If you’ve got a really shady spot, the only thing Lavender will do is sulk.
Choosing the right plant for the right spot is such a big part of gardening, and it’s very very easy to make mistakes at the nursery or Garden Centre….before you’ve even got home!
We all buy on impulse, especially when the plants are dripping in buds and flowers. At The Plant Man we have perhaps 70 years of combined expertise so we’ll be happy to guide you. We’ll be honest and say ‘no’ if you’ve made the wrong choice…..we want you to succeed!
Acid loving plants
Surely need Ericaceous compost?
So what about the plants which quite clearly need Ericaceous (acid) soil?
Well this is one area we may surprise you…..we’d recommend John Innes compost #3. Yes we sell Ericaceous compost, and whilst it’s good, it isn’t soil, and that’s where Ericaceous plants grow! We try and match the soil to what the plant has evolved to grow in. John Innes is the closest match. What this does mean is that once planted, you do have to feed with Ericaceous feed. But to be fair, you’d be having to do that anyway, even if you used Ericaceous compost….all bagged compost only has enough food in it for maybe the first 6 weeks of plant growth.
Which leads us to perhaps the most widely misunderstood thing about growing plants in pots…..
Feed me, Seymour!
We’re hungry!
Perhaps the biggest reason for underperforming plants in pots, is feed. More specifically, a lack of food.
Now with the exception of some very clever plants like the Venus fly trap, nearly all plants take their nutrition from the soil, through their roots. Sounds about right?
The issue with plants in pots, hanging baskets and containers, is that they rely 100% on us to provide that food. Compost, even fresh compost, has enough food to keep your plants happy and healthy for around 6-8 weeks. After that, they’ll be looking to you.
Now we all know how important watering is, and as a nation we’re actually pretty damn good at it.
But how long do you think you’d stay happy and healthy, with plenty of water but nothing else?
What many of us don’t realise, is how much food plants will need to give you their best efforts. What we also don’t realise, is that regular watering can actually remove food from the soil. It’s called leaching. Roots can only take up food that’s dissolved in water, so the more you water, the more you can actually get rid of food through the bottom of the pot. Another great reason to water sparingly (please read our blog on watering).
We’re not going to go into feeding in too much detail, it’s another subject in its own right. Come and speak to us if you’re not sure, but do feed regularly in the growing season. The results really can’t be argued….
If you’re feeding densely planted containers; bedding plants, hanging baskets, then they want lots of food, lots of the time. We’d always suggest liquid feed, remember any food has to be dissolved in water for the roots to use them, so liquid feed is ready and waiting to be used. We’d suggest watering at least once a week, twice a week would give you results which will stop your neighbours in their tracks!
For more perennial plantings, trees and shrubs, it’s easier to use a controlled release fertiliser….quite simply, you’ll only need to feed 2 or 3 times a year, rather than once a week.
That’s all folks!
It’s really pretty straightforward
So, we think those are the key points to growing plants successfully in pots.
Use a compost they’ll love, add extra drainage/compost/fertiliser if necessary
Put some drainage material at the bottom of the pot
Match your choice of plant to the position your pot will occupy
Water regularly, but don’t overdo it
Feed regularly with the right food
And if in any doubt, ask us…we love to help….and we’re pretty good at it. We want your sunflower to be happy!