Pots And Potting, Feeding Plants And Watering
Pots And Potting: Plastic pots are not just substitutes for clay ones.
There are a number of advantages - they are lighter, more durable and easier to clean.
They need less water, but there is an increased danger of water logging.
Peat, paper and whalehide pots are available, but they should only be temporary homes for plants until the final potting up or planting out stage.
Learn to recognise when a plant is pot bound.
Growth is slow, even when the plant is fed regularly in the spring and summer.
Check by spreading the fingers of the left hand over the soil surface.
Invert and gently knock the rim of the pot on the staging and then lift off the pot.
If there is a matted mass of roots around the soil ball, it is pot bound and repotting is necessary.
Never use ordinary garden soil for filling pots.
Use a peat based or soil-based compost and never jump from a small pot to a very large one when repotting.
If you do, the new compost may well become sodden and new root growth will be inhibited.
Use a pot which is only one or two sizes larger than the present one.
Put a layer of compost in the bottom of the new pot and place the plant on top of it.
Fill around the soil ball with fresh compost, leaving a 1 to 2cm.
space between the compost level and the top of the pot.
Water carefully and keep in the shade for about a week.
Feeding Plants: Plants require food to stay healthy.
With a high-yielding crop, such as Tomatoes or Cucumbers, this need is even more pronounced in order to obtain a good crop of full-size fruit.
Commercial peat based composts contain essential nutrients, but these last for only about 6 - 8 weeks after planting.
After this period, regular feeding is essential.
The usual technique is to use a soluble fertilizer such as Instant Bio which is diluted and applied through a watering can.
Foliar feeding is an interesting technique which can be used when root feeding is ineffective because of disease or injury.
Watering: If you are growing plants in a greenhouse then obviously they are going to rely on you for water.
In the summer plants may need watering twice a day, in the winter they may require water only once a fortnight.
Water with care.
Do not give daily dribbles so that the soil never dries out.
The time to water is when the soil or compost is on the dry side, and then water thoroughly.
Growing bags have their own special rules - follow the makers instructions.
Another good tip is to water to the weather.
Plants need much more water on a sunny day than on a cloudy one.
For watering individual plants, the best buy is a can with a long spout so that you can reach the back of the greenhouse staging.
If the house is a large one a watering can is not practical, you will need a hose pipe.
Keep the pressure low to avoid washing away compost and exposing roots.
Use rainwater whenever possible - never use hard water for Azalea, Orchid, Cyclamen or Hydrangea.
On hot days your greenhouse should be damped down by spraying the floor and staging with water.
The plants should be misted with a fine spray.
There are a number of advantages - they are lighter, more durable and easier to clean.
They need less water, but there is an increased danger of water logging.
Peat, paper and whalehide pots are available, but they should only be temporary homes for plants until the final potting up or planting out stage.
Learn to recognise when a plant is pot bound.
Growth is slow, even when the plant is fed regularly in the spring and summer.
Check by spreading the fingers of the left hand over the soil surface.
Invert and gently knock the rim of the pot on the staging and then lift off the pot.
If there is a matted mass of roots around the soil ball, it is pot bound and repotting is necessary.
Never use ordinary garden soil for filling pots.
Use a peat based or soil-based compost and never jump from a small pot to a very large one when repotting.
If you do, the new compost may well become sodden and new root growth will be inhibited.
Use a pot which is only one or two sizes larger than the present one.
Put a layer of compost in the bottom of the new pot and place the plant on top of it.
Fill around the soil ball with fresh compost, leaving a 1 to 2cm.
space between the compost level and the top of the pot.
Water carefully and keep in the shade for about a week.
Feeding Plants: Plants require food to stay healthy.
With a high-yielding crop, such as Tomatoes or Cucumbers, this need is even more pronounced in order to obtain a good crop of full-size fruit.
Commercial peat based composts contain essential nutrients, but these last for only about 6 - 8 weeks after planting.
After this period, regular feeding is essential.
The usual technique is to use a soluble fertilizer such as Instant Bio which is diluted and applied through a watering can.
Foliar feeding is an interesting technique which can be used when root feeding is ineffective because of disease or injury.
Watering: If you are growing plants in a greenhouse then obviously they are going to rely on you for water.
In the summer plants may need watering twice a day, in the winter they may require water only once a fortnight.
Water with care.
Do not give daily dribbles so that the soil never dries out.
The time to water is when the soil or compost is on the dry side, and then water thoroughly.
Growing bags have their own special rules - follow the makers instructions.
Another good tip is to water to the weather.
Plants need much more water on a sunny day than on a cloudy one.
For watering individual plants, the best buy is a can with a long spout so that you can reach the back of the greenhouse staging.
If the house is a large one a watering can is not practical, you will need a hose pipe.
Keep the pressure low to avoid washing away compost and exposing roots.
Use rainwater whenever possible - never use hard water for Azalea, Orchid, Cyclamen or Hydrangea.
On hot days your greenhouse should be damped down by spraying the floor and staging with water.
The plants should be misted with a fine spray.
