Gardening: Planting a Container Garden

Planting a Container Garden

Written by Johann Erickson

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Planting your container
When putting your container garden together, fill it to within ½ inch of repparttar

top with a commercial potting mix. Do not use garden soil from your yard because it will not drain fast enough and will also pull away from repparttar 136982

sides of

container when dried out. Potting soil is specifically designed for container gardening and often contains organic matter which helps retain moisture and also nourishes your plants. After removing your plants from their pots, gently loosen repparttar 136984

roots and place them into your soil. Be sure to arrange them in a design that is pleasing to your eye. In containers you can place your plants closer together than you normally would to create a more lush and fuller looking plant. Add more potting soil to fill in and finish by giving your plants a good drink of water. Be aware that because there is a relatively small amount of soil in container gardens their tendency is to dry out. Therefore, be diligent about providing enough water once, and sometimes twice a day, if necessary. It is also a good idea to add a time-release fertilizer at repparttar 136985

time of planting. Just follow repparttar 136986

manufacturers instructions on quantity and application.

General Care
Because container gardens lack repparttar 136987

nutrients that garden plants naturally obtain from Mother Nature, they do require some special care. Be diligent about watering always checking for signs of dehydration and add a water-soluble fertilizer every two weeks. Also, inspect your plants for any signs of diseased or damaged leaves and remove as necessary.

For more garden decor tips please visit us at Helpful Home Ideas.

Johann Erickson is a contributing writer for sites such as Helpful Home Ideas. Please include an active link to our site if you'd like to reprint this article.

Caring For Tropicals And Exotic Flowers

Written by Gerry Belvedere

Continued from page 1

Look at repparttar flower heads and notice how repparttar 136802 petals are “cupped” to catch and store as much water as possible. These plants drink from repparttar 136803 top and like being wet.

Look at repparttar 136804 pattern on repparttar 136805 leaves. The ridges channel water down to repparttar 136806 stem where it is absorbed into repparttar 136807 many layers of repparttar 136808 plant.

2. If your flowers have been out of water for any length of time after cutting, submerge them in repparttar 136809 bath for half an hour or so.

3. Cut 3 to 4 inches off repparttar 136810 stems and then place them in a tall vase FULL of clean water.

4. Use a spray bottle to mist them at least twice a day.

5. Change repparttar 136811 water and re-cut repparttar 136812 stems every 2 or 3 days.

You can double repparttar 136813 vase life of your cut flowers by using these simple techniques.

Gerry Belvedere is a former artist who now runs her own online florist service at http://www.rosaflora-flowers.com. Rosaflora delivers flowers Australia wide and overseas and offers tips on getting the most out of your cut flowers.

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