How to grow potted plants

Video: How To Grow Pot Plants in a Container Garden

Content

Part 2 of 3: Prepare the pot
Part 3 of 3: Taking Care of the Plants
Tips
What do you need

1 Choose containers with drainage holes. Pots come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes, but the main thing is drainage. Make sure any container you buy has small holes in the bottom to prevent the plant's roots from drowning in the water.

If you want to plant a plant in a beautiful pot that has no holes, then do this: buy a plastic pot a little smaller and with drainage holes, and place it in your favorite pot without holes.
Get a pallet that fits your pot. The pallet is placed under the pot - it collects drainage water and helps to maintain order.

2 Choose light-loving plants if you plan to expose them to the sun. The best pot location depends on the type of plant you bought. If the instructions for caring for your plant include the phrase "the most bright sun", then put it in a sunny place outside the house or in a room by the window.

If you have room for a pot, then watch it before buying plants. Make sure the plant gets at least 6 hours of direct sunlight here.If not, choose a shade or partial shade plant.
Most flowering plants are suitable for direct sunlight: petunia, geranium, sage, lily, canna and lilac. Other light-loving plants include fruits and vegetables such as tomato, pepper, and cucumber. Most herbs, including basil, lavender, and thyme, also need a lot of light.

3 Choose shade-loving plants for places with little sunlight. At your nursery or home improvement store, check the plant for “shade tolerant” or “moderate sunlight”. This means that the plant needs about 3 hours (or less) of sunlight every day.

Begonia, balsam, crocus, periwinkle, lily of the valley, and some types of tulips are good choices. Tenacious and Coleus are shade-tolerant plants with beautiful leaves of different colors.
Chlorophytum and three-lane sansevieria tolerate low light well, but grow best in moderate sunlight. They are popular houseplants and do not require much maintenance.

4 Use planting soil with suitable drainage requirements for the selected plant. The topsoil from your garden dries up and forms clumps, and the garden soil from the store is too dense to provide adequate drainage. If you have a bag of garden soil and don't want to spend money on potting soil, mix equal parts garden soil, peat, and perlite.

Store-bought potting soil is the best choice for most plants. However, there are some specific requirements. If you are planting orchids, you will need a growing medium with a lot of bark and other large pieces of growing medium.
Fruits and vegetables prefer nutrient-rich clay or loamy soils that retain moisture.
Cacti and other succulents prefer sandy, well-drained soil. Buy a ready-made cactus mix or mix equal parts sand and potting soil.

5 Improve the soil, if necessary, so that it has correct pH. You can check the pH of the soil and change it according to the plant's preference. Add sphagnum peat or sulfur to make the soil more acidic. Add limestone powder or wood ash to reduce acidity.

Some plants, such as Banksia and Grivellia, are sensitive to phosphorus content - they require soils with low acidity and low phosphorus content. On the other hand, camellia and azalea thrive in acidic soil rich in phosphorus.
When purchasing your potting mix, match your soil pH and phosphorus levels to your growing recommendations.

6 Provide the plant with the space it needs. Shrubs such as hibiscus, fuchsia and bougainvillea, as well as fruit and vegetable plants, usually require a large amount of space to grow. Choose containers with a depth of 30-60 cm that hold 19-38 liters of soil.

Plants such as rubber trees, tomatoes, peppers and carrots usually grow well alone. They have a large root system, thanks to which they absorb many nutrients.
Plants with a more modest root system, such as pansies, ashen cross, tenacious, coin loosestrife, and succulents, grow well with other plants. To provide room for growth, plant them 10-15 cm apart or according to the care instructions.

Part 2 of 3: Prepare the pot

1 Fill the bottom third of the pot with stones, pottery shards, or loose packing material. If you are not planting a tree or shrub with an extensive root system, then line the bottom of the container with stones, shards, packing material, or shards of jars and utensils. Fill container 1/4 to 1/3 full with selected material.
- The filler material will improve drainage and reduce the amount of soil required, which can be quite expensive.Small items like rocks or pot shards are great for drainage-loving succulents and herbs in small pots. For larger containers, use larger items such as shards of jars and utensils.
- Limit the amount of drainage material for plants with extensive root systems: small citrus trees, hibiscus and other shrubs, tomatoes and strawberries. A 2–5 cm drainage layer of stones or shards will provide drainage and ample root space.
2 Add enough soil to leave 5 cm to the edge of the container. In a large container, simply pour the soil from the bag, and for a small pot, use a garden scoop. Do not tamp the soil, but shake the pot to level the surface. A distance of about 5 cm between the surface of the soil and the edge will allow you to water the plants in the container so that the water does not overflow.
- The space from the surface to the edge of the pot will allow you to dig a hole for the plant to plant.
3 Water the plants thoroughly and then shake out of the plastic pot. Moisten the plants to prepare them for transplanting. Take one plant, cover the top of the pot with your hand so that the stem of the plant is between your fingers. Turn the pot over and gently squeeze the edges to shake out the roots and dirt ball.
- Do not pull on the stem to pull the plant out of the pot, and try to damage the roots as little as possible.
- Loosen all the plants from their pots in the same way. Remove the plant from the pot, transplant, and then move on to the next plant.
4 Massage the root ball gently to stimulate growth. Once you have removed the plant from the pot, gently massage the roots with your fingertips to loosen the soil off. Do not unravel the root ball, rub hard, or remove all soil from the roots. You just need to free the roots a little to awaken their growth in the new "house".
5 Dig a hole for the size of the root ball. Make a root ball depression in the center of the new pot. It should be deep enough so that the root collar (the place where the roots merge into the stem) is at the level of the soil surface. Place the root ball in the groove, then add soil to level the surface.
- If you are only growing one potted plant, then you do not need to worry about plant placement and distribution in the pot.
6 If you have different plants in the same pot, place the tallest plants in the center. Start with a dimple in the center for the tallest plant. Place the root system in the soil so that the root collar is level with the soil surface, then add soil to a level surface.
- For example, if you have ryegrass, prickly dracaena, or formium, plant it in the center of the pot. If you have a fairly deep pot, then azalea, hibiscus and caladium will also work as a high center of the composition.
7 Plant smaller plants closer to the edges of the container. When you are finished with the tallest plant, continue to plant flowers, vines, or other smaller plants from the center outward. Create an intermediate layer of flowering or brightly colored plants, and place the climbing plants about 5 cm from the edge, so that their shoots hang over the edge of the pot.
- Coleus, tenacious and hosta are excellent filler plants. Popular plants that add color are petunias, sage, pansies, and geraniums.
- Looseweed, clematis, common ivy and rejuvenated are well suited as a hanging plant.
- Place the plants 10-15 cm apart, or according to the care instructions for each plant. Don't worry if the container looks a little empty. Plants need room to grow and will fill the gaps within a few weeks.
8 Moisten the soil when you're done planting. Thoroughly wetting the soil will help prevent transplant shock. Pour water into the container until it starts to appear in the sump and the topsoil is completely saturated with water. Full watering may take several minutes, depending on the size of the container. Water will drain from the bottom of the container, so be sure to place the pot on a tray.
- Stop watering when you see water flowing out of the drain holes in the bottom of the pot.
- Water at room temperature is best for watering, especially for tropical plants such as caladium, bougainvillea, and orchids. If the water from the hose or tap looks icy, fill a jug or watering can and allow the water to warm to room temperature.
- Plain tap water is also fine, unless you are using water softeners. Water treated with softeners can cause salt build-up. Distilled water is best for carnivorous plants such as sarranza and venus flytrap. They prefer soil with low nutrient content and dislike minerals in tap water.

Part 3 of 3: Taking Care of the Plants

1 Keep the pot on a pallet for drainage water to flow into. The drip tray will protect your floor, windowsill or table from dirty water puddles. Empty the sump about an hour after watering to prevent root rot.
- If the container is too heavy to lift and you cannot empty the pan, use a syringe to pump out the water.
2 Water the pot when the ground is dry or according to care instructions. The correct amount of water depends on the plant, the size of the container, and the location of the pot (outdoors or indoors). In general, test this: poke the ground with your finger, and water only when it is dry.
- If the soil is wet and your finger can easily enter it, do not water the plant. If the soil seems dry and your finger is having trouble getting in, your plant needs watering.
- Most plants are better suited to alternating between thorough watering and complete drying of the soil than constantly moist soil.
- Many flowering plants, fruits, vegetables, and herbs need to be watered daily. Cacti and other succulents should be watered no more often than every 2-4 days.
- When in doubt, double-check your plant care instructions and water as directed.
3 Add fertilizers long-acting monthly, or according to care instructions. Nutrients are washed out of the soil during each watering, so you need to fertilize your potted plant regularly. Universal fertilizer balls that release nutrients over time work well for most plants, but you should check your plant's care instructions before using them.
- Use about 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) of fertilizer balls for every 4 L of soil. Spread the granules over the surface and use your fingers or a scoop to immerse them 5 cm deep.
- In general, flowering plants, fruits and vegetables require more nutrients than herbs and succulents. In the middle of the season, or when the fruit is ripe, fertilize plants such as tomato and pepper every 1–2 weeks. Watch out for yellowing of the leaves - this may indicate an excess of fertilizer in the soil.
- Don't overdo it with herbs like basil, cilantro, lavender, and rosemary. They are sensitive to over-fertilization, so 1 fertilization every 3-4 months is best.
- Fertilize cacti and other succulents 1-2 times a year.
4 Prune your plants every time you see withered leaves. Use a pruning shear to cut wilted flowers and leaves. Cut them off at a 45-degree angle just below the brown or dry part. Trim new shoots at a 45-degree angle 1.5 cm above the nodule to control the fast growing plant.
- A nodule looks like a small bump or bud where new growth begins.
- If you are pruning or pruning a plant that is growing rapidly, do not remove more than 30% of the plant at a time. Over-pruning can injure and even kill the plant.
- Pruning stimulates new growth and leads to a more lush and resilient plant.
5 Cut off any parts of the plant where rot or fungus. In addition to regularly pruning, remove diseased leaves as soon as you notice them. Signs of illness include black or brown spots, yellowing, white spots, and foul odor. If the problem persists, buy an antifungal spray that can be used on plants.
- Look for a fungicide for your plant at a garden center. Read the instructions for the product and use as directed.
- Common plant diseases include black or white fungal or bacterial necrosis, fungal rust (looks like a reddish bloom on a plant), and necrosis that looks like dead, damp plant tissue on a tree shoot.
6 Apply an insecticide if the plant infested with pests. If you need to control pests, look for a plant insecticide at a garden center or store. If you have a houseplant, make sure the product is suitable for indoor plants. Read the instructions for the product and use according to it.
- Most insecticides target specific plants, which are indicated on the label. Check the label for your plant names, or contact your garden center or shop consultant for help.
- Common pests include aphids, ants, midges, spider mites, and whiteflies.
- Aphids, ants and flies are easy to spot, but ticks are difficult. Look for areas of fine web with tiny, barely visible specks. Signs of a mite infestation include tiny light green spots on leaves and stems, yellow discoloration, and curled or dead leaves.

Tips

Find the pots that suit you and suit your needs. If you want to decorate the front porch of the house with containers, then buy a pair of pots that would complement the appearance of the facade. For the corner of the living room, choose a pot that matches the interior or adds a bold accent.
If you already know how much and what kind of plants you will be growing, choose pots that are sized for the plants. For example, several small pots are suitable for growing herbs on a windowsill. Use a 40-liter container to plant a rubber tree.