Garden Decors

With some basic gardening skills, you can ensure a successful container garden. Starting with the containers themselves, make sure that any garden pots made from porous materials (such as terracotta or wood) are sealed on the inside with a quality water sealant. Otherwise, the pots will soak up much of the water meant for your plants.

Watering Your Plants

It is just as important not to over water as it is not to underwater. Most garden pots will have a saucer or bowl underneath to catch any extra water and keep it from rotting your patio or deck. The best way to water your container garden is by filling the saucers up with water. This helps you avoid over watering and the water from spilling over the top of the saucer. The water will seep up through the hole in the bottom of the pot feeding the roots of your plants.

Another method of watering is to water your plants at the surface. If you do, however, make sure you fill about a cup at a time and watch how much water ends up in the saucer. You want to avoid overfilling the saucer. Spraying your plants with water from a hand sprayer is always welcome by your houseplants. Try to avoid using hard water though so calcium won’t build up on the leaves.

Food

Because garden pots are generally small, nutrients don’t last much more than five or six weeks in most potting soils. Vital nutrients in the soil will need to be replenished with plant food. It usually comes in either a granular form or a liquid form. For really low maintenance, it is recommended that you use slow-release granules since they last a long time and they keep a steady supply of food going to the plants.

Controlling Insects

Systemic and Contact are the two main types of insecticides. Systemic is poured right onto the soil and is then absorbed into the soil to the root system of the plant and right on up through the leaves. This type of insecticide works best for bugs under the soil that are hard to get to and for leaf eaters as they ingest the poison when they eat the leaves.

The other type, contact insecticide, is sprayed directly on the pests. You may need to repeat this method depending on how much infestation there is but contact insecticides work rather quickly.

With loving care (and sufficient monitoring), you are sure to have satisfying results with a thriving container garden.

David Haines has been working in gardens since his early childhood and has always been interested in educating others on gardening and landscaping techniques. If you would like to know more about garden pot and landscaping, visit AllGardenPots.com

Container gardens have been around for quite some time and are gaining in popularity. In many instances, such as high-rise or apartment living, the only option for a garden is to place your plants in garden pots. Here is a short list of considerations on using garden pots in your own garden:

1. Choosing the Proper Material for Your Garden Pots

Garden pots are made from a large variety of materials, like clay, plastic and stone. Some of these materials are more durable than others and some more stylish. How you will use the pots will help you narrow down the options.

2. Size Does Matter

The kind of plant you will be planting (and the number of plants) will help determine how big the pots you will need to have. Obviously, small trees will require a larger pot than, say, a tulip.

3. Vary the Pot Sizes

To give your garden an eye-catching appearance, vary the sizes of pots and plants. Larger pots work better farther away from the viewer and smaller ones work great up close.

4. Grouping Your Garden Pots

Add interest or a focal point to your garden by grouping smaller and mid-sized pots around a large pot.

5. Group Plants Requiring Similar Watering In Each Pot

Obviously, you shouldn’t put a water-loving plant (like a fern) in with a group of cactus. Watering requirements should be the same for all the plants in a single pot.

6. Select Plants That You Put In A Pot That Require The Same Amount of Sunlight

The same goes for how much sunlight your plants require. If you place your pot where they are in direct sunlight for most of the day, they will dry up quickly.

7. Choose Plants That Don’t Require Much Watering

Since pots are relatively small, they tend to dry up pretty fast. Choosing plants that require less water will make your container garden easier to maintain and will also be more forgiving.

8. Proper Drainage Is Essential

You will have to drill holes in the bottoms of your pots if they don’t already come with one – most do. Now place a shard from a broken pot over the hole to keep the soil from spilling out the bottom but allowing excess water to drain.

9. Add a Water Sealant to Terracotta Pots

Terracotta left unsealed (on the inside of the pot) will soak up a lot of your plant’s water before the plant does. Brush on a good water sealant to prevent this from happening.

10. Use a Good Potting Soil

Use potting soil instead of regular dirt. Potting soil is specially blended for the purpose of putting in pots. Its made to hold water better than normal soil and its considerably lighter in weight.

Before you decide to purchase any garden pot for your container garden, visit Keith Maiden’s web site: All Garden Pots for more information on container gardening.

A great and versatile way to bring new life to your existing garden is with garden pots. However, there are several items that you can use in place of your standard garden pots. For example, use an old rusty watering can to place your plants in. Just drill a hole in the bottom for water drainage and you have yourself a charming plant container.

If you have a large stump close to, or in, your garden, you can hollow it out to put a pot into. Use a wide boring drill bit and drill out several holes that make up the outside diameter of the circle. Once you have most of the material drilled out for the circle, continue boring out the material on the inside. Using a chisel, remove all the remaining wood that is left between the holes. Put in the pot and fill in any gaps around it with dirt.

If you break a large garden pot, another trick that a lot of gardeners do is to cut the bottom off at an angle or bury the pot halfway into the ground. This gives the illusion that the pot is more like an artifact that has been unearthed.

For a less permanent but really fun idea, take a pair of old cowboy boots, fill them with dirt and top with your choice of plant. You can even spray paint the boots to make them blend in or stand out.

A common alternative to garden pots is a wooden barrel that is cut in half. Although they are made to hold liquids, it’s a good idea to still coat them on the inside with a water sealant to protect them.

A simple idea is to lay down a used car tire and fill it with dirt. You can even stack four or five tires to make a very interesting garden feature.

If you look around you’ll see plenty of ordinary objects that you can use as containers for your garden. Your imagination is your only limit.

Daniel Rapier has been working in gardens since his early childhood. He has always been interested in learning new gardening and landscaping techniques and helping educate others. If you would like to know more about the subject of garden pots, visit AllGardenPots.com