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.

Proper Watering

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.

Watering your plants on the top surface of the soil is another way you can water. However, if you do, avoid over watering by filling it a little at a time (about a cup or so) and be sure to keep an eye on how much water seeps into the saucer. Try not to overfill the saucer. Use a hand sprayer to spray your houseplants with rain or bottled water. This will keep calcium from forming on the leaves.

Food

The nutrients in most potting soils don’t last much more than five or six weeks since garden pots are generally small. So, vital nutrients will need to be replenished. Plant food, for the most part, comes in granular and liquid forms. Since they last a long time and keep a steady supply of food going to the plants, slow-release granules are recommended.

Pest Control

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. 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

Container gardening has been around for centuries and is actually gaining in popularity. In some instances there is no other option BUT to use garden pots for a garden such as high-rise or apartment living. The following is a list of considerations if you are thinking of 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

If you have your plants picked out (or at least an idea of what you are looking for), you will be able to determine how big your garden pots will have to be. As an example, small trees or tomato plants will require a larger pot simply because their root systems are bigger.

3. Vary the Pot Sizes

If you vary the sizes of the plants and the pots, you will create a garden with a more eye-catching appearance. Place small pots up close and scale them up as you go back.

4. Grouping Your Garden Pots

If you place your pots in groups with smaller and mid-sized pots around a single large pot, you will add a lot of interest and a great focal point at the same time.

5. Place Plants That Require The Same Amount of Watering In Each Pot

This may seem obvious, but you shouldn’t group a cactus requiring little water with a fern requiring daily watering.

6. Place Plants That Require The Same Amount of Sunlight In Each Pot

Pots left in direct sunlight dry up very quickly because of their small size. Try to place them where they get some shade at least part of the day.

7. Choose Plants That Don’t Require Much Watering

Small pots tend to dry up fast since they can’t hold much water. Picking out plants that don’t need much water in the first place will make your container garden easier to maintain.

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. Waterproof Terracotta Pots

Terracotta makes a great material for pots, but they tend to soak up quite a bit of the water intended for your plants. Brush on a water sealant to the inside of the pot to keep this from occurring.

10. Use 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 type of garden pot for your 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 happen to lose a tree that is already in your garden, you can hollow out the stump. Make sure to hollow it out deep enough to sink a pot into. Simply use a boring drill bit and start by drilling out holes that make the outside diameter of the circle. Once you have the circle drilled out, continue boring out the inside. Use a chisel to remove the wood left between the holes. Fill in any gaps around the pot with dirt.

If you accidentally break a large garden pot, don’t throw it away. You can still use it by cutting the bottom off at an angle or burying it halfway into the ground. It has the illusion that the pot is more of an artifact that has been unearthed.

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

Wood barrels that are cut in half are a common alternative as well. Even though they are made to hold liquids, its still a good idea to coat the inside with a water sealant (they weren’t exactly made for dirt).

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.

Look around and you will see that there are plenty of objects you can use as containers for your garden. Your only limit is your imagination.

Daniel Rapier 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 Right Material

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 Matters

If you know what plants you will be using in your garden, the kind of plant will help determine how big the garden pot will be. For instance, small trees require much larger pots to allow for their root systems.

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. Group Your Pots

If you place your pots in groups with smaller and mid-sized pots around a single large pot, you will add a lot of interest and a great focal point at the same time.

5. Place Plants That Require The Same Amount of Watering In Each Pot

I know it seems obvious, but you shouldn’t put a fern that requires a fair amount of water in with a group of cactus.

6. Group Plants Requiring Similar Sunlight In Each Pot

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

Most garden pots already have a hole in the bottom for drainage. If the ones you have don’t, you will have to drill them yourself. Place either a screen, a couple layers of newspaper or a shard from another broken pot over the hole. This will allow water to drain out the bottom but keep the soil from falling out.

9. Add Waterproofing to Terracotta Pots

Left unsealed, terracotta pots soak up the water that is intended for your plants. Making sure the inside of the pot is clean, brush on a good water sealant (on the inside only).

10. 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.