To round out our series on apartment indoor gardens, we’re going to look at some mistakes that many people make when it comes to container gardens.
Putting Filler Material in the Bottom of Big Containers
There are a lot of ideas on the Internet for the things that you can fill large containers with. The thing is that your plants are going to need the soil so they can grow. Whether you have a container that’s 6” or 16”, you should fill it all the way using potting soil. If you pout filler material in its bottom, it’s going to inhibit drainage. That means that water is going to pool in its bottom. This will eventually lead to really heavy pots and rotting roots. Use quality potting soil, since it will drain freely and it’s lightweight, and it gives your plants what they need.
Not Using Potting Soil
It’s often confusing when looking for the soil because a lot of times the bags look all alike. Search for the bags that have potting soil clearly marked on the bag’s front. It should be pretty lightweight when compared with topsoil. Potting soil that is high quality actually don’t contain soil. Rather, it’s a mixture of things such as perlite, bark and peat moss. This mixture provides good airflow, drainage and nutrients for the plants you’re growing in containers.
Not Watering Your Plants’ Roots
When you are watering your plants, make sure that you’re pointing the end of your hose or your water can right into your container. You don’t want to wet the foliage or flowers of your plants more than necessary since this will waste water. You don’t need to get your plant’s top wet. The roots are what absorb the water and keep your plant moist.
Over/underwatering Your Plants
It can take some time to understand when your plants need water, especially if you are growing in containers for the first time. But the best ways to know whether or not they need to be watered is to put a finger into the plant’s soil to its first knuckle. If it feels like it’s dry, you want to water it. If you find that you aren’t able to water them as often, you can always think about investing in a watering system or containers that are self-watering. It’s a good idea anyway, in case there’s a time when you go away, and no one will be home to water them.
These are four common mistakes that people make when it comes to container gardens in an apartment. We thank you for taking the time to read and we hope that the series has been very helpful.
Have a great day and weekend and we’ll be back soon with some more helpful renter tips.
