DIY Corner

KARSTEN’S ACE HARDWARE: CONTAINER GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS By Mike Heinzen, Karsten’s Ace • Taller, heavier plants will need or wash tubs, then drilling holes in the WHAT YOU’LL NEED: Hardware Store Manager heavier pots to support them. bottom and spray painting the exterior. Ace Potting Soil 1.5 cu. ft.

One of the trends in gardening • The color of plant foliage and flow- • Dark colored containers absorb heat Happy Frog Planting Soil 12 quart and landscaping today is the ers should coordinate with container more than light or reflective colors. Product #7299290 - $11.99 increasing use of decorative color. They will dry the soil faster, requiring Whitney Farms Organic Potting containers. Any object that holds soil frequent watering. Soil 1.5 cu. ft. in which a plant can be grown is fair • Containers look best when grouped Product #7269392 - $11.99 game. Pots, tubs, and half barrels together. • Recycle nursery containers. Many Happy Frog Potting Soil 2 cu. ft. overflowing with flowers add appeal to nurseries propagate their own plants Product #7268717 - $21.99 any garden. Container gardening can CONSIDER PLACEMENT and will gladly take them to reuse, Raised Garden Bed Container with serve a practical purpose too - it is ideal • The beauty of container grown plants saving them production cost which Stand for those with little or no garden space. is that they can be used anywhere! passes the saving to the consumer. Product #7798622 - $149.99

Here is all you need to know to DIY your very own container garden!

PROPER CONTAINER PLANTING

• Make sure your container has sufficient drainage holes in the bottom.

• Do not use saucers that retain water on the bottom of any pots.

• Cover drainage holes with a screen type material to allow water, not soil, to drain out. • Fill with a draining soil suitable for the type of plant to be grown in the container. • Leave at least an inch of head room for watering. • Water newly potted plants twice to allow for initial compacting.

CHOOSING A PLANT FOR YOUR CONTAINER

• The shape of container will determine the shape of the plant to use, to obtain the proper symmetry. • Plant succulent plants in porous containers, others in more moisture retaining containers. • Location is a factor in plant choice, e.g. sun/shade and wind level. • Among garden bed plants.

• Bordering sidewalks and entrances.

• On decks, terraces, and top of walls.

• Along walls, fences and in corners.

• Under trees and overhangs.

• As hanging plants.

• Clusters of three or more for artistic

effect.

ADDITIONAL TIPS FOR CONTAINER GARDENING

• Often, large containers are very heavy and difficult to move when filled completely with soil. Try filling the bottom of a deep pot or container with light fillers (e.g. pine bark), and then soil for your plants growing needs.

• Clay pots build up mineral deposits that can cause excessive salinity to filter into the soil, in addition to looking bad. The best way to clean them is with an equal one-third solution of vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and water.

• Tired of clay pots breaking, and plastic pots becoming brittle and cracking? Try making your own indestructible containers using galvanized buckets Product #7203144 - $4.99

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