Post date: Jul 14, 2020 10:47:34 PM
By Uma Shashikant
Notes: Containers and water
When you grow plants in containers, you are doing something not natural for the plant.
In the ground, the plant can send roots out to get nutrition and moisture. In a pot, you are responsible for both. The root cannot go out to get water or food.
The soil in the pot will dry out in the sun and the wind. Smaller the pot greater the drying off. If your pot is earthen or breathable cloth, wind will pass through and dry it out faster. If you pot is plastic, soil will be warm but heated up.
What should you do?
1. Don’t choose a very tiny pot. Don’t buy those monsters. A 5- gallon pot should be good for one season of an annual plant.
2. Make sure your medium holds water. You fill it with the store bought fluff, it will dry in an hour of watering. Make sure you add good quality soil and compost. So the pot holds the water.
3. Fill to the top. Top up. I still don’t know why people buy big pots and fill them first and then forget to top up. I find plants in half a pot of soil. Really?
4. Mulch. If you can’t find leaves like most people here, use stones, sticks, card board, junk mail. But cover that soil up. So it can keep moisture.
5. Water the pots. They need water twice a day in the hot summer. Not like the ground. Poke your finger to see if soil is moist, if not water. Get a drip irrigation system if you are too busy.
End of rant and notes. I got 15PMs today, I kid you not, about drying plants, dying plants, sad plants, caked soil, big and small containers. Check the blog out people, and think about what you are doing. Air, moisture and food - at all times. Your plant must get all three. Go figure.