Tips for Potting Outdoor Plants
Potting garden plants is not a simple process, despite common belief. Until you've actually given it a go yourself, you probably won't appreciate the amount of work and ongoing effort it takes to initially pot the plant and then keep it alive. Even choosing the flowers you plant out can prove to be quite the task and, in some cases, involve rather a lot of research.
That being said, if you've found a plant you like and you're now using the warmer weather to pot your flower, then I have a few hints and tips for you having done it all myself already. So without further ado, let's get into it :)
Pick the right compost for your plant
Make sure you're choosing good quality soil to pot your plant. What you don't want to do is dig some out of your existing flower bed and fill your plant pot up with that as it won't contain the nutrients your new plant needs in order to give it the best possible start. Old soil will also harden up over time, making it difficult for water to penetrate down and reach the plant's roots.
Make sure you read the contents on the bag before buying the soil and also do some research into what your specific plant needs. If the compost needs to be non-acidic, then choose that option, but if the plant does need soil that's slightly acidic, then you know it's the right compost for the plant in question. The best thing to do before buying your soil is to simply read around the subject in order to understand what it is your plant requires for a prosperous, long life - especially if a hardy plant.
Choose the perfect sized plant pot
The plant pot shouldn't be too big to start with as it'll take a while for the plant to properly grow its roots out. Once the plant has grown to a larger size, then you can purchase a bigger, more decorative pot to ensure your plant continues to thrive.
You should also refrain from buying plastic plant pots as they can become brittle over time. You can buy ceramic plant pots that are also frost-proof. Where these are a little more expensive, I highly recommend them if you're looking to keep the plant for years to come.
Place pebbles in the bottom of the plant pot
This is important for the purposes of drainage. Make sure you cover the biggest hole at the bottom of the pot with a small stone or a broken piece of terracotta and then place a few pebbles around that. This will help the water to filter through the soil at a slower, more deliberate pace rather than soak through to the bottom and then sitting there for a long period of time.
Fill the plant pot up half way with compost to begin with
Only fill the pot up to the half way point when you come to pot your plant. Once you've gone half way with it, put your plant, still in its original plastic pot, in the middle and place the compost around it, filling the pot up all the way to the top. Once you've done this, pull the plant (with its pot) out of the mound and it should leave a neat hole behind.
Take the plant out of the plastic pot - gently - and then put that in the square-shaped hole that was left behind. Then put more compost around that and water it until water starts coming out the bottom. Once you've watered it, you'll notice that the compost will compress, so this is the time to add more soil to the pot, although don't water it this time.
Water your plant on a regular basis thereafter
It's important that you keep your flower watered, especially during the warmer, drier months. It's worth investing in a watering can in order to make this as simple and as efficient as possible, because the last thing you want is to have to keep getting your hose out all the time just to water your potted plants.
We water our plants every two or three days, so stick to a schedule but it's also worth reading about the plant you have as some can go for several days without being watered, whereas others need it everyday.
Don't forget about plant food
Your plant can't survive purely on water. If you want to give it the best possible chance and keep it in good condition, then make sure you supplement it with some plant food. I use a liquid plant food by Miracle-Gro that you simply mix in with water and sprinkle it into the soil. I'll do this once a week just to keep on top of it and also to ensure there's a decent period of time between each dose. Although it's always worth reading what's recommended for your plant and always read the label on your plant food.
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I hope you enjoyed this blog post! Let me know whether you have any hints and tips for potting outdoor plants in the comments below and I will see you again very soon with a brand new blog post :)
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