Container Care

Once your container is planted, it's important to give it regular care to help small plants get big fast and to keep established plants beautiful.

Here's how:

1. Water, water, water!

It's hard to overwater a container, at least, a container that has a good drainage hole. Most pots and hanging baskets need watering at least every two to three days. If they have thirsty plants, like hibiscus or impatiens, or the weather is hot and sunny or windy, they need watering daily. Some small pots will need watering twice daily. Give containers a good soaking, rather than a small sip, each time. It's better for the roots.

With small containers, if the soil dries out, it can shrink away from the sides and then every time you try to water, the water runs down the sides and doesn't thoroughly wet the soil. To remedy this, set the pot in a pan or bucket of water with a few to several inches of lukewarm water in it (but not so much it's deeper than the pot). Let it soak for two or three hours so that the water either soaks through the clay pot or soaks in slowly through the drainage hole in the bottom.

If you have several containers, consider installing a drip irrigation system with flexible tubing and drip emitters, which can be attached to a timer for low-maintenance watering that's especially useful when you're gone from home. Visit your local home improvement center or shop on line for do-it-yourself supplies. Look for simple systems, which are geared for beginners to assemble in an afternoon or less.

2. Mulch.

Add a light (perhaps 1/2 to 1 inch) layer of gravel, wood chip, or other mulch on top of the soil surface of your container plantings. It will help keep soil in place when watering, help water percolate downward evenly, and conserve moisture overall.

3. Fertilize regularly.

All that watering means nutrients are being constantly flushed out of the soil. If you didn't do it at planting time, work a slow-release fertilizer into the soil. It's okay if you work it into just the top inch or so (follow package directions exactly). Then give your container "snacks" every two to four weeks with a faster-acting liquid fertilizer.

There are a number of different formulations out there, but if your container has flowering plants, it's smart to go for a bloom-booster formula to get the biggest, best flowers and to minimize leafy green growth, which can result in leggy, out-of-control plantings by late summer.

4. Make sure the light is right.

If your container plantings are wilting daily or leaves are looking sun scalded, move them to a shadier place. If they are getting leggy or leaning toward the light, move them to a sunnier place. Otherwise, they'll only get more unattractive and become prone to disease problems.

5. Groom regularly.

Every day, or at least every few days, perform a little plant grooming on your containers. Pinch off spent blossoms and pluck off yellowing or problem leaves. This encourages better blooming and fuller, healthier growth—not to mention that it keeps your plants looking tidy.

6. Control pests and diseases.

If your containers develop problems, act quickly. One of the fastest, simplest ways is simply to trim off the affected plant part and then give the whole plant a spray of water from the hose, being sure to get the undersides of the leaves as well.

If you don't see progress in a week or so, trim off an affected plant part and take it in (still fresh) to your local garden center for a diagnosis. They can tell you what the problem is likely to be and what can be done to remedy it.