LIFE IN A POT IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT
By Lois Trigg Chaplin
Plants that you put in a container depend entirely on you for life-giving soil, food, and water, so be good to them. Consider these basic principles about life in a pot so that your containers will make you proud.
Temperature. Plants in pots feel temperature extremes more directly because the soil mass is above ground and relatively small. Sunshine beating on a side of a pot heats the soil. In summer, a trailing plant such as ivy spilling over the side will do wonders to keep the soil cool. In winter, you must be sure roots are hardy enough to stand occasional freezing and thawing. Ivy is a hardy choice.
Water. Water quickly drains through pots unless you provide a saucer or other reservoir. Also, the limited soil volume just doesn't hold water as long as the ground. So, you need to water more often and choose plants that are forgiving if you miss a time or two! A water-retaining polymer mixed into your soil at planting will really help, too. See Soil Moist (www.soilmoist.com) for an idea of what I mean. There are several on the market, so check with your favorite garden center. A mulch of Spanish moss, stone, shredded bark, or even small pinecones makes attractive mulch that cuts down evaporation from the soil surface.
Wind. Even gentle winds can cause drying not only through the foliage, but also through the pot surface. The sun heats both containers and the hard surfaces around them. Consider this when you choose plants and a location for your pots. Plants with waxy or hairy foliage such as plectranthus, agave, hens and chicks, and junipers fit this bill.
Food. Again, plants in a pot depend entire on what you provide. Be sure that you fertilize regularly. Frequent watering leaches nutrients, so a liquid fertilizer is always a good idea in addition to any timed-release products that you include in the soil when potting. If you grow palms, citrus, or other tropicals, beware of their extra need for micronutrients. Look for special palm or citrus fertilizers formulated especially for these plants.
Lois Trigg Chaplin is a former Garden Editor of Southern Living magazine and author of The Southern Gardener's Book of Lists. The book is available at bookstores or discounted from the publisher at www.rowmanlittlefield.com/catalog.
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