Living
Pot luck : pick your pot
Try this at home Add personality to your space with the perfect planter
By Yvonne Cunnington First published in Chatelaine May 2003 issue. © Yvonne Cunnington |
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Pick your pot
Getting started
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1. |
Use potting mix, not garden soil, for containers. |
2. |
Assemble everything you need -plants, containers, potting mix, fertilizer, trowel–and work close to an outdoor faucet. |
3. |
Before you fill your pots, place a piece of broken pottery or a small stone over drainage holes to prevent potting mix from leaking out. In large deep containers, set a plastic nursery pot upside down on the bottom to reduce volume and save on potting mix. |
4. |
Fill each container three-quarters full with moist potting mix, keeping the mix fluffy. |
5. |
Remove plants from nursery pots, making sure theyââ¬â¢ve been well watered. Gently tease roots apart if matted and place inside container. Fill gaps between plants, gently firming potting mix. Avoid packing potting mix to container rim; leave five centimetres of space as reservoir for easier watering. |
6. |
Leave room for growth. A pot 30 to 38 centimetres in diameter supports one to three plants, depending on eventual size; a container double that size can hold five or seven plants. |
7. |
Mix slow-release fertilizer pellets following package directions into top layer of potting mix. As you water, controlled amounts of fertilizer are released each time. |
8. |
Water plants generously and check pots daily to ensure the potting mix is moist. |
9. |
Pots that are not frost-proof should be emptied of their potting mix and stored in a basement or garage over winter. |
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