You don’t have to have a giant backyard to enjoy some of the calm and relaxing moments that gardening can offer you. If you live in an apartment or have a small yard, container gardening can be the answer to your problems. This form of gardening offers the versatility of moving your plants around and still getting the chance to harvest vegetables. This article will focus on some basic tips to help you get started with container gardening.
The plants that you choose should fit your lifestyle and wallet too. Container gardening isn’t very expensive, but in due time if you aren’t careful, it can definitely get to be. There is no assurance that container gardening is foolproof or the plants that you choose will survive your lifestyle and environment. For example, if you don’t have the time or energy to water your plants often, choose plants that don’t require much water. If you are low on cash, check out some second hand stores to provide some affordable containers for your plants.
Your plants need to be put into a container that has enough drainage holes. Drainage holes are there for a reason and it can be a simple matter of life or death for your plants. These holes allow excess water to drain through the holes, preventing the roots of your plants from rotting. Too much water can cause your soil to become soggy and wet, eventually resulting in rotting plant roots. If you have ever thought that adding rocks or gravel to the bottom of a pot decreases drainage problems, you’re quite wrong. None of these things can prevent your plant’s roots from rotting.
If you aren’t a seasoned gardener, definitely invest in some good quality potting soil. Meanwhile some gardeners will tell you that it is perfectly okay to fill up your potted soil with junk; this also causes your plant’s soil to dry out much faster. Unless you are a perfect gardener and have a very low track record for error, avoid filling your pot with gunk and just buy some good potting soil instead.
Make sure that you take the time to acclimate your plants. Even a seasoned gardener can attest to the fact that sometimes plants just swoon and die, while others can take a heavy beating. If you take the time to acclimate them to small changes in light exposure, temperature and water, you will find that your plants have a better survival and success rate. This is especially important if your plants are young and were just recently purchased from the pampered environment of a greenhouse.
Container gardening is one of those things where you just need to know when to stop. Even the most seasoned gardener will kill plants and the more plants you plant in a given container, the higher your plant death rate is. It is just a simple fact of life and not something to discourage anyone from gardening. If you see one of your plants in your container that’s dying, there are several things you can do. Take the time and cut back the plant dramatically.
In most cases this is a simple fix and you will see drastic changes in the plant within weeks. If the dying/dead plant is just becoming an eyesore and really beyond hope, take it out of the container and replace it with a new and healthy plant. Last, but not least, if your plant is clearly suffering from a disease, either quarantine it immediately away from other plants or just throw it to ensure the survival of your container.
If you are planning on planting several plants together in one container, make sure that they work well together. This means, ensure that all of the plants have similar requirements for light as well as moisture. If you choose to plant plants that don’t make good neighbors, you can end up with a container full of dying and wilting plants.
Container gardening isn’t for everyone, but if you need just the right advice and have the patience to wait for success, it could be for you. If your first plant dies or just doesn’t make it, don’t feel bad; pull it out and replace it with something else!