Spring Potting and Planting

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Add dimension and color to any area with potted plants! Potted plants will liven up your home whether they sit in your living room, on the porch or patio, or out in the garden. All gardening enthusiasts know that potting expands your growing area and is a great way to make your favorite plants into portable bouquets. Take advantage of Mother Nature’s color palate, and create beautiful, vibrant displays you can enjoy anywhere.

Checklist

• 6-foot Lifetime table or the Lifetime Workcentre
• 1 bag of potting soil
• Pebbles
• Pieces of a broken pot
• Desired pots
• A garden spade
• Variety of plants and flowers

Steps

1. Pick your plants- Pick plants that have just started to grow; they have roots that can adapt to transplanting. Think about the colors, textures, and themes you’d like to incorporate in your house or yard. If you’re looking to place the potted plants indoors, be sure to find species that can handle shady conditions.
2. Pick your pots- Find a container that is the right size for your plants. It’s a common temptation to use a large pot your plant can “grow into”. But oversized pots can lead to overwatering and sour soil. Some plants will not produce flowers unless they sense they are bound inside a pot, and will not grow actively when they have too much room.
3. Keep it clean- If you want to reuse flowerpots, be sure to clean the inside walls thoroughly, removing any old soil. New feeding roots have a difficult time breaking through the caked residue left in old soil. Soak clay pots in water for a few hours before potting, so they don’t leach the water intended for your plant!
4. Make a drainage Layer- pieces of a broken pot, followed by a layer of pebbles along the bottom of your empty pot. This will prevent the soil from plugging up the drainage holes built into the pot, and keep the soil fresh.
5. Fill with soil- Fill the container about one quarter full with damp soil. Place the plant’s roots in a natural position, spread over the soil. Fill the pot with potting soil to about an inch of the containers rim, covering the roots. Pat the soil down so that it’s firm, but not so dense that the roots cannot get air through the soil.
6. Water- Be sure to water well after planting, or if the species of plant is succulent or downy, mist it with water for some extra pampering.
7. Making an easy adjustment- When a plant is first brought inside, or repotted, keep it in dim light with little sunshine so that it can adjust.

Tips

• Plants potted in the spring enjoy taking a dip in the garden. If you don’t mind having them outside, dig appropriate sized holes for each pot, and place some gravel at the bottom. Bury the entire pot in the soil, showing only the pot’s brim. The gravel will serve as additional drainage, and discourage earthworms from entering through the pot’s bottom hole. This is a great way to let yout plants enjoy the refreshing spring season before moving them into the house.
• Beware of potting in the winter, roots are dormant and will not grow into new soil. March, April, and May are ideal potting months.
• Make it a Party! Set a date and contact friends and family. Invite them to bring pots, plants, and a garden spade. Let them know you’ll provide the dirt and workspace. Or shake it up and invite each person to bring a palate of one type of plant from the nursery, and trade with each other until you have the perfect arrangement. Potting with friends gives you the opportunities to trade ideas, gardening tips, exchange plants and seeds, and use your extra potting soil.