It’s summer and the heat has set in. You want nothing more than to find a cool
spot and sip on some iced tea. But what
about your container garden? Are your
plants surviving? Or are they looking a
little weary of the heat too?
The key is watering. Of course you all knew that. Right?
But, the best time to water is NOT when the container is completely
dried out and the flowers are wilting. The key is keeping a regular watering
schedule. Water the containers
thoroughly. As long as the pots have
drainage holes, I’d say go ahead and over water. This allows the soil time to soak up the
extra water. Often we sprinkle the pots
and they look wet, but if you stick your finger into the soil you’ll find that less
than an inch down can be dry as a bone.
This means the roots are not getting the moisture they need the water is
running off or out of the pot.
Fertilize regularly.
I usually use a time released variety in the spring. I mix it into the soil prior to putting any
plants in the pot and don’t have to worry about it later. But if you didn’t do this, feed your plants
every 2 to 3 weeks. Seeing as how there are many fertilizers out there, take
time to read the instructions on the back of the product for best results.
Clean them up. Remove
the old blooms and pinch back the leggy limbs. You will be rewarded with more
blooms in a short amount of time. I will pinch back my plants several times in
a season, it makes the plant put out more stems and you’ll have a thicker
looking pot of flowers.
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