Container Gardening Made Easy

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Container GardeningMade Easy

• Presented By Jason Becker

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Discussion Topics

• Container Gardening
• What is container gardening
• 6 Steps to successful container gardening
• Step 1 Container Selection
• Step 2 Soil Quality
• Step 3 Plant Selection
• Step 4 Proper Planting
• Step 5 Fertilization
• Step 6 Water!
• Container gardens in the landscape
• Location Location Location

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Container Gardening

• What is Container Gardening?
• Using plant materials in a container
• of some kind to make a point of interest.
• Plants used annuals, perennials, vegetables,
  dwarf trees, shrubs, cactus, tropicals, house
  plants and water plants.
• It can be a combination of plants or the same
  plant.
• Continues to be the leading trend for gardening
  in the US.
• Time savings for a fast pace life.
• Less maintenance.
• Good starter garden for those who have not had
  much experience in the garden.

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6 Steps to Successful Container Gardens

• Step 1 Container Selection
• Questions to ask
• Where will this container be located?
• Full sun, part shade or shade exposure.
• The more sun exposure the quicker the container
  will dry out.
• How big do you need it to be?
• A larger container will handle more sun exposure.
• The larger the plants that you want, the larger
  the container you will need.
• Plastic, pottery, metal, fiber or other?
• Pottery and fiber will dry out quicker than
  others.

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6 Steps to Successful Container Gardens

• Step 2 Soil Quality
• Potting soil is the basis of a successful
  container garden.
• Potting soil is made up of
• Perlite
• Vermiculite
• Peat moss
• Bark fines of different sizes
• Potting soil has no soil!
• The majority of it is made up of peat moss which
  is actually a plant.

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6 Steps to Successful Container Gardens

• Positives Negatives of soiless mixes.
• Positives
• Promotes stronger root growth by allowing water
  and oxygen to move through the container.
• More healthy plant material.
• Reduces diseases.
• Weed seed free.
• Negatives
• Increased watering.
• Leaching of nutrients.
• When the soiless mix dries out it becomes very
  difficult to get hydrated again.

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6 Steps to Successful Container Gardens

• Container size and soil.
• Soil in 12 containers or smaller should be
  completed dumped each year.
• Soil in larger containers should have at least
  half of the soil dumped out each year.
• Left over soil will have leached all nutrients
  and can promote insect infestation.

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6 Steps to Successful Container Gardens

• Soil amenities.
• Water polymers
• Water polymers are small granules that grow many
  times there size when exposed to water.
• Creates a reservoir for the plant to use.
• Roots grow into the polymer and take in the water
  when it is needed.
• Helps keep a healthier plant during the hot
  summer.
• Time release fertilizer
• Recommended to keep your plant material healthy.
• Releases fertilizer over a 3 month period.
• Does not mean you do not have to hand water over
  the summer!

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6 Steps to Successful Container Gardens

• Step 3 - Plant Selection
• This is one of the hardest parts of developing
  your container garden.
• Personal preference!
• Must take into consideration where the planter
  will be located.
• Full Sun South side or West side exposure
• Plants need more than ½ day sun.
• Plants need the hot afternoon sun.
• Part Sun North side or East side exposure
• Morning sun until noon.
• Usually will not take the hot afternoon sun.

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Color

• Only 3 Rules to remember
• Match similar sun exposure plants.
• Consider how aggressive plants are.
• No rules on combining plants, colors or textures.
• Color, Texture Height
• Color What do you like?
• Color of pot.
• Color of background.

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Monocultures
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Anything Goes
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Texture

• Texture
• Bloom shape.
• Leaf shape size.
• Variations in color in the leaf.
• Texture of the leaf
• Fuzzy
• Glossy
• Wiry

• Spider Dahlia

• Euphorbia

• Sedum Angelina

• Coleus

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Height

• Height
• Give your container a centerpiece to build from.
• Know the growth habit of the plants you are
  using.
• Upright how tall will it get?
• Trailing
• Mounding

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6 Steps to Successful Container Gardens

• Step 4 Proper Planting
• Do not pull plant out of the pot by the plant.
• Damage to the roots and stem of the plant can
  occur.
• Turn pot upside down, squeeze the sides of the
  pot and tap the bottom while cupping the top of
  the pot to hold the plant and soil.
• New plants should be placed at the same soil
  depth in the new container as it was in the old
  container.
• Planting them too deep could choke the plant and
  stunt the growth.

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6 Steps to Successful Container Gardens

• Trim off ¾ of the flowers from the plant.
• This will promote new root growth to get
  established in the container.
• Also reduces planting stress by eliminating the
  energy needed to push flowers.
• Once planted, water the container thoroughly in
  order to get water all through the container.
• Allow the container to dry to the touch then
  water again.

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6 Steps to Successful Container Gardens

• Make your container full, but dont put too many
  plants in or it will cause you more work.
• More water.
• More trimming.
• Plants vs. Container Size
• 6 and smaller 1 plant
• 8 1 or 2 plants
• 10 3 to 4 plants
• 12 4 to 6 plants

• 12 pot with10 plants
• 2 varieties are very aggressive!
• They water this 3 times a day!

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6 Steps to Successful Container Gardens

• Step 5 - Fertilization
• Proper fertilization is very important with these
  new varieties.
• Fertilize once a week from planting until you are
  done with the basket.
• Recommended fertilizers.
• Blooming Rooting 9-59-8 (Fertilome Product)
• Focuses on root development and bud set.
• High in phosphate.
• Miracle Grow 15-30-15
• Develops more foliage.
• Darker green plants.

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6 Steps to Successful Container Gardens

• Time Release Fertilizer
• Mixed in the soil when planting your container.
• Slowly releases fertilizer through the summer.
• Helps to maintain a nutrient balance in the soil
  to produce large healthy plants.
• Fertilization schedule.
• 1st 3 weeks after planting Blooming Rooting.
• 1 week Miracle Grow.
• 3 weeks Blooming Rooting.
• Follow this through the rest of the summer.

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6 Steps to Successful Container Gardens

• Step 6 Water!!!
• When to water?
• Early growth stage you would water only when the
  container is dry.
• Letting the soil dry and then getting it wet
  promotes healthy root development.
• Consistently wet soil will damage roots.
• Mature containers will need water daily.
• Early morning or late evening are good watering
  times.
• In the heat of the summer watering twice a day is
  necessary.

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6 Steps to Successful Container Gardens

• How much?
• Young plant stage and cooler weather water just
  enough to soak in the 1st few inches and only
  when it is dry.
• In the heat of the summer and during large growth
  stages, water until it starts to drain out the
  bottom.
• Letting container go dry.
• Damages roots and stunts the growth of the plant
  or kills the plant material.
• Causes potting soil to shrink from the sides
  allowing all of the water to instantly run out
  the bottom.
• Must soak the pot in a bucket to re-hydrate the
  soil and get it to expand.
• Once it takes water again you can go back to
  normal watering.

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