If you have just purchased a 5 inch pot, you may wonder what to do with it. The first thing that comes to mind is a pot garden. Pot gardening can be a wonderful experience for the entire family, but it does require some time and effort on your part. The first step is to decide what type of container garden you would like. There are many types of container gardening including amaranth, flowering garden, hanging basket, potpourri and window box among others.
For container gardens, it is important to determine what grows best in your climate. This is usually easy to determine as there are plants that only thrive in specific temperatures. A good example of this is tomatoes. They need a lot of sun to grow and will do well in a greenhouse. However, if you live in a region with freezing temperatures during the winter, then you probably want to choose flowers that do not require as much sun or heat to thrive. You can find many articles online and in gardening books about the types of plants that work best for your particular climate and the amount of sunlight and heat they need to flourish.
After deciding what type of container you will be growing, you will need to decide which potting bench will best suit your needs. The best potting benches are metal, wood or plastic. Metal and plastic ones are the easiest to clean because nothing is more frustrating than an unattractive pot. Wood and plastic ones need more maintenance and need to be rebooted every couple of years depending on the amount of water they hold.
Once you have chosen your potting bench, you are ready to start gardening! The container will need to be filled with potting soil. Some good potting soil choices are perlite, bark dust or coconut fiber. Once the container has been established in the desired location, then you can start preparing the pot itself.
Make sure the potting bench has a drainage hole in the bottom. This allows any excess water or rainwater to drain out of the container, helping your plant to develop properly. If the container has drainage holes in it, you should water the plant daily during the first month, and then once a week after that. This gives the roots plenty of moisture to help them grow.
When it comes to potting, there are two types of containers to choose from; the soil bed or container, and the hanging pot or window box. The soil bed is a large collection of small pots placed together in a circle. It is a good idea to make this area larger than needed for the plant. Hanging pots are simply a plastic container held in a frame that can be hung.
Most container gardening starts out as one small pot. As the plants get bigger, they will need larger containers until they are ready for transplant into the garden. Some container gardens can even use an individual pot for each plant. Most people like to have more than one plant per pot. That way, if one plant is sick, the other ones are in good health.
When you are finished potting your plants, you should remove the pot from the potting bench. Take it to your compost bin or your garden soil. Do not throw the pot away because you can recycle part of it by using it to make potting soil for another plant.
The next step is to clean the potting bench. Remove any leaves or dirt from the pot. This is very important. Any dirt left on the pot will cause weeds to grow. If the potting bench has not been used in a while, it may need to be cleaned using a scrubber and water.
Your plants can now be watered. Make sure you do not leave them standing in water. They will burn if they are left in standing water. Also, do not put your plants in the pot for more than an hour. If you must water, do so after the plants have been thoroughly watered.
Once the plants are fully watered and your container is clean, remove the potting bench and your plants. Use your potting bench to help protect your plants from being exposed to the elements. If your plants still appear green, you may need to water again. Remember, fresh plants like new potting pads.