Basic of Container Gardening
 Contents |
What are needed at the beginning?
Basic of seeding and planting
Basic of watering
Where to locate containers
What are needed at the beginning?
�i* means always needed�j
Seeds or bulbs*
Containers* (Choose with considering the size and number of the flowers and the area to locate it)
Soil* (Most of the plants grow in potting soil mix on the market).
Fertilizer (Mix the powdery fertilizer in potting soil before starting. Liquid fertilizer also is convenient during the growing period).
Watering can (You don't have to buy one, if you have any appropriate vessel).
Vermiculite (Convenient to save bulbs. It also can be used for germination of dry bulbs such as anemone and ranunculas).
Pesticides
Water spray (Some plants like to be sprayed on the foliage).
Scoop (It may not be needed if the plant does not requre transplanting, A plastic spoon can be used for small works).
Scissors (It is good to have a pair of scissors for cutting plants)
Straw hat (Do not sacrifice your skin, while you want to grow beautiful flowers)
Gardener's Supply Company is recommended to find what you need.
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Basic of Seeding and Planting
Unless the seeds or the bulbs are dead, most of them germinate if they are planted in proper season.
Therefore, it is important to choose healthy seeds or bulbs.
Comparatively big and heavy, and fresh ones are prefered.
Some seeds are difficult to make them germinate. Therefore, planting them in a small pot to make them germinate, and tlansplanting them into your favourite container is recommended. This method is not used for the plants, which hate transplantation.
And, seeding more than you want, and spacing after germination (removing some of them if it is too crowded) also is recommended. You may feel sorry for the removed plants, but it is important to grow healthy plants.
On the other hand, bulbs are planted directly in soil, with keeping the proper interval.
Most of the bulbs can be planted directly after purchase, however dried bulbs such as anemone and ranunculas might get cracks, which may cause infection, if they absorb large amount of water at a time. Therefore, it is recommended to plant them in wet vermiculite to make them absorb water gradually, and plant them in your favourite container after germination. Germination could be performed in a refrigerator to prevent infection.
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Basic of Watering
Watering is the most important thing to take care of plants.
Required water amount or watering frequency can not be generilized, because it varies depending on the plants. Some plants like water very much but others prefer to be dry, and the temperature and humidity also affect them.
However, the basic procedure is to water sufficiently until it leaks from the bottom of the container and remove the water in the saucer, and wait until the surface of the soil gets dry and repeat this process again.
Even if the plants like water very much, excessive humidity kills the root. So, watering too much or keeping water in the saucer should be avoided.
For most of the plants, stop watering when the folige becomes yellow and dies back.
By the way, you may wonder how you should do when you travel. If it is a few days of short trip, you can fill the pet bottle with water and stick it on the container.
However, this method is not good if you take a long trip, so it is recommended to buy automatic watering equipment at SMARTHOME.
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Where to Locate Containers
This can not be generalized either, because some plants like full sun while others hate direct sun.
The plant, which like full sun, may get weak if you locate it indoor, while the plant, which hates direct sun, may get sunburn if you locate it in the sunny side. So, you should know the feature of the plants to choose the location.
You don't have to be disappointed even if your room does not have any balcony or sunny windows. You can get indoor flowers, or the plants which do not like sun light very much.
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