How to care potted plants

tips Tips for keeping plants healthy; plus our favorite flowers and plants for container gardens.

1. Choose the pots

• Make certain there are one or more holes in the bottom of your container to allow water to flow out freely. Insufficient drainage can cause roots to drown, and the plant to die prematurely.
• Almost anything can be used as a container for plants, so what type of pot you choose depends upon your style preference and budget. If you prefer lightweight containers, which are easy to move around and can weather winter temperatures, look for resin, fiberglass, and plastic. Bonus: These materials are not porous, so they absorb less moisture than unglazed clay or wood―leaving more for the plant.

2. Choose the potting mix.

• Do not use soil from the yard or garden. It can be filled with weed seeds, insects, and fungal diseases.
• Buy potting soil at your local garden center. It is a loose and light mixture of materials like peat moss, vermiculite, and, often, decomposed organic matter. If you are planting succulents or cacti, use a mix especially formulated for them.
• To reduce plant maintenance, buy potting mix containing a time-release fertilizer and moisture-retaining polymer crystals. If that type of mix is not available, buy a time-release fertilizer (such as Cockadoodle Doo) and a jar of water-retaining crystals (like Soil Moist) and follow the package directions for adding to the potting mix.

3. Choose the plants.

• Make “Right plant, right place” your motto. You must take into consideration the conditions of your space. Don’t try to grow a flower like a rose―which requires six hours of full sun―on a porch that gets only an hour in the early morning. Do your homework (read books and plant tags), ask for advice at the garden center, and determine which plants will thrive in the available sun or shade.
• When deciding what to buy, the simplest approach is to use one kind of plant per pot. If you choose to combine multiple types of plants, make sure they all like the same light and moisture conditions. Don’t put a cactus and a pansy together in one pot and expect them to get along.

4. Prepare the pots

• If your containers are large, place them where they’ll ultimately go before filling them. Once they are full and watered, they may be too heavy to move.
• Put a basket-type coffee filter or a shard of broken pot over the hole(s) in the bottom of the empty pot. This will prevent the potting mix from washing out but will still allow water to escape.
• Before pouring in the soil, check its moisture content. Read directions on the bag for wetting it properly. Generally, you need to add water a little at a time and knead the mixture with your hands. A good rule of thumb is to wet the mix until it feels like a damp sponge.
• Fill the container with the soil. Put in enough potting mix so the base of the plant (where the stem sprouts from the soil’s surface) is about 1 inch from the top of the pot (to help visually estimate, position your plant while it’s still in its nursery container). Before planting, pat down the soil lightly with your fingers to eliminate any big air pockets. Don’t pack it down too hard.

5. Pot the plant

• Remove the plant from its nursery container. (It’s a good practice to water plants in their original containers at least an hour before transplanting. This will ease their removal and diminish transplant shock.) Support the top of the “root ball” (the semisolid mass of soil and roots) by placing a finger on each side of the stem; then tip the pot and let the plant fall gently into your hand. Never pull a plant out by its stem. If it is stuck, tap the sides of the pot to loosen it.
• If the roots are circling around and around, the plant is “root-bound.” Gently tease the ends of the roots free before planting.
• Set the plant on top of the mix. If you are potting more than one plant, leave at least an inch or so around each root ball so you can add mix in between them. Carefully fill in with small handfuls of soil. Pat gently to eliminate air pockets. Do not pile soil on top of the plant―make sure the stem is completely above the surface. Leave about an inch between the soil surface and the rim of the pot.
• Water the container. This will settle the roots into their new home. If the soil level drops below the top of the root ball, add additional mix to bring it back up.

6. Watering 

• If you plant in the spring and the weather is mild, you can probably get away with watering about once a week. As the summer continues, plants need more water. Not only is the warm weather evaporating the moisture before the plant can use it, the plants need more water as they grow larger. Hanging plants and small pots may need watering twice a day (best times are morning and evening); once a day is enough for large pots.
• Water your plants until the water comes out of the drainage holes. That way you know the soil is getting moisture all the way to the bottom.
• Water the soil, not the leaves and flowers. Wetting the foliage can lead to fungal diseases and sometimes scorched spots on leaves.
• Don’t worry if plants and flowers look wilted in the hottest time of the day. As long as the top of the soil is moist, you probably don’t need to water. Wilting is a self-protective mechanism to prevent too much moisture loss from the root area. Wait and see if the plants perk up after the sun goes down.
• Don’t let pots sit in water; this can cause root rot and death. If you are using saucers, empty them after you water and after it rains.

7. Feeding 

• Plants growing in containers need more fertilizing than those in the ground. The more you water, the more quickly you flush the nutrients out of the soil. It’s good to use a time-release fertilizer when planting (see “Step 2: Choose the Potting Mix”), but it’s the bare minimum. If you want really healthy and happy plants, feed them a liquid or water-soluble fertilizer every couple of weeks according to package directions.

8. Deadheading 

• Pinching or cutting off faded blooms, known as deadheading, is essential. It encourages a plant to keep producing more flowers.
• Some plants have so many tiny flowers and stems, it would be too time-consuming to snip or pick off individual flower heads. For those types, it’s best to shear the whole plant back to about one-third of its size. It will look “whacked” for about a week, but you will soon be rewarded with a flush of new buds and blooms.
• Some flowering plants are “self-cleaning,” meaning they don’t generally require deadheading or shearing. These are usually prolific bloomers covered in smallish flowers, which just shrivel up and almost disappear on their own. Some examples are impatiens, mini petunias, diascia, and browalia. If they start to flag late in the summer, cut back the plant by one-third to rejuvenate blooming.

Good Container Flowers for Sun 

• Angelonia
• African daisy (Arctotis)
• Dahlia
• Purple fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’)
• Lantana
• Verbena
• Zinnia
• Tuberous Begonia

Good Container Flowers for Shade

• Fuchsia
• Impatiens
• Browallia
• Torenia

Good, Colorful Foliage Plants for Sun and Shade 

• Caladium (shade)
• Coleus (sun and shade, depending on variety)
• Phormium (full sun to part shade)
• Canna (full sun to part shade)
• Ferns (various types, filtered sun to shade)
• Persian shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus, full sun/part shade)
• Ornamental sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas, full sun/part shade)
• Ornamental grass (various types, full sun)

Good Container Flowers for Sun and Shade 

• Twinspur (Diascia, full sun/part shade)
• Mini petunia (Calibrachoa, full sun/part shade)
• Nemesia (full sun/part shade)
• Scaevola (full sun/part shade)
• Salvia (Salvia guaranitica, full sun/part shade)

Note: Where only one name is listed, the botanical and common names are the same.

How to Grow and care an Orchids

Orchids are beautiful lovely indoor plants. They look bit complicated to grow and nursing them is another task, but I believe it's not. So, let check that out.

Vandas  1. One of the most important factors when it comes to growing orchids is the amount of sunlight they receive.  The requirement is based on the type of orchid you have.  Vandas and Angraecams require the most intense light that needs to be unobstructed.  To maximize the amount of sunlight, place these orchids on a south-facing windowsill and make sure there are no tree or building obstructions. 2. Phragmipediums, Oncidiums and Dendrobiums like a medium-high light but not direct.  This type of light can be found on a west or east facing window. 3. On the other hand, only the Phalaenopsis likes a medium to low light that can be found pouring through a east or west window.  The Jewel orchid is the only orchid that tolerates low light, which can be found on a northern-facing window. 4. The next requirement for orchids is temperature but just like the light requirement each type of orchid has its own temperature requirement.  The best bet is to decide where you would like to place an orchid and measure the temperature.  Once you have that information, then you can make a discussion on the orchid type. Phragmipediums 5. Humidity is another limiting factor when it comes to orchids and in doing so the typical home is not the best place for high humidity.  To mimic the tropics, place your orchid on a humidity tray.  This tray is created by filling it up with pebbles and then with water.  Place the orchids on the tray.  Another approach to use is to just group your plants together.  The simple process of transpiration will create the humidity. 6. Watering can is a challenge to the beginning orchid grower.  The reason for this comes from the fact that orchids are not planted in traditional soil.  Instead, they are placed in bark or moss.  To give this type of medium a chance to absorb the water, you need to submerge it.  Before you grab your plant and put it in a bowl of water, you will need to know what type of pot it is planted in. For orchids that are planted in plastic, place the pot in a bowl of water and allow it to sit for 10 to 15 minutes.  After that time has passed, pick the pot up and allow it to drain before placing it in a decorative container. On the other hand if the plant is in terra cotta, place the pot in a bowl and then fill with water until the water level reaches the rim of the pot.  Allow to sit in the water for 10 to 15 minutes and then remove to drain. Dendrobiums How often you water depends on a lot of factors.  The more light the plant receives the more often you will need to water.  Also, if you do not have your plants on a humidity tray, you will need to water more often.  The type of orchid you have will also affect how often you water. The type of planting medium and its container are also factors when it comes to watering.  Bark and clay pots require more frequent watering while sphagnum moss and plastic containers requires less. Orchids normally do not require fertilization but if you insist on feeding your plants, feed them a half strength fertilizer every other time you water and only do this during the growing season.  To prevent salt buildup in the pot and planting medium, make sure to water with clear water at least once a month. Phalaenopsis While the requirements of an orchid have been covered, there is always the question as to how to force an orchid to bloom or bloom again.  Orchids have a 3 month bloom cycle.  What this means is that if the conditions are correct, the plant will bloom.  If your plant is blooming right now, you can encourage it to bloom again right away by simply pruning back the flower stalk before the entire flower dies.  This will encourage the plant to produce a secondary flower stalk that will give you another month or so of bloom. Part of learning how to grow and care for an orchid not only comes from learning the growing requirements and how to provide them but also how to transplant the orchid.  This process should begin when the weather has warmed, the plant has stopped blooming, the planting medium has broken down and/or the roots are coming out of the pot.  Or, you can just plan on transplant your orchid every 3 years. Since this planting process can make a mess, plan on doing the planting process outside.  The night before you plan on transplanting your orchid, water the plant.  This will make separating the roots from the planting medium easier to do.  Also, soak the planting medium in water overnight.  This planting medium can be pine bark, sphagnum moss or soil.  The type of planting medium that you use will depend on the type of orchid you are transplanting.  If you are not sure what to use check out what is in the pot right now. Oncidium While the soil and orchid are soaking, prepare the pot.  Make sure that the pot has a drainage hole.  This will prevent one from drowning the plant.  Next, wash and sterilize the container by washing it in warm water and capful of bleach.  Once the pot has been cleaned, rinse it in clear water and place in the sun to dry.   Next, place a layer of pebbles in the bottom of the pot.  Once that is done, remove the orchid from its old container and remove the spent planting medium.  Also, trim any dead or damaged roots and then place in the prepared pot.  When placing the orchid in the container, make sure that the roots are placed 1-inch below the rim.  Fill the pot with your chosen planting medium and gently tap on the table to settle.  Add additional planting medium as needed to secure the plant into the pot.  At this point, push a stake into the planting medium.  This will give you a surface by which to tie up the flower stalk. Now move your orchid to its permanent location but make sure that this location addresses its individual light requirement.  To address the humidity requirement, make sure that you have plants grouped together or the orchid placed on a humidity tray.  When using a humidity tray, place the plant on top of the tray not inside the tray.  This will prevent any wicking, which will keep the planting medium too wet

Rubber Plant

If you organize a plant fashion show then i believe that Rubber plant can sure be a show stopper. If you are wondering why I have chosen Rubber plant, then the answer to it is the large, waxy, emerald green leaves. Also its beauty is not limited to its outer appearances but to its easy care also. 

Rubber plants are easy gong plants and have very few requirements.

1. Its very easy to grow a rubber tree from a small sampling.

2. The light requirement can also be easily fulfilled by placing near a bright lighting window. 

3. The best way to water is to place the plant on a saucer filled with stones and water it once in a while according to the moistness in soil. Rubber plant will droop its leaves if the soil is dry, and they will turn yellow to brown when too wet and the last stage is they will fall. If any of these situations occurs, adjust your watering pattern.

To encourage leaf development, when a leaf fall make a simple cut in the node where the leaf used to be. Rubber trees can easily be pruned to control growth. When pruning or taking cuttings always make the cut at an angle.  Then, place the cutting directly into a good potting medium or place in a glass of water to root.

Another way of starting new rubber trees is through a propagation process called air layering.  This process is a little more involved but it is worth the effort.  To begin this process, one first selects a healthy branch and then pushes a toothpick through the stem where you would like to cut it back at.  Pack this area with premoistend Sphagnum moss and then cover with plastic wrap.  Once roots appear through the wrap, cut the stem off at the plastic wrap, remove the plastic wrap and plant.

African Violets Care

Do you know that African Violets are one of those rare indoor plants, those grew around the year. In fact they are the some of the easiest indoor plants to grow, once you know some of their simple requirements and necessities. 

African Violets love natural filtered light and not direct sunlight, so there are few keys element to always remember and there will no reason you can't have a house filled with colorful, velvety African violets. 

Now, have you ever struggled to maintain them, just follow these steps and you are done. 

1. Placing of African violets:  Placing in the right direction is the soul for them to live. Always avoid hot or direct sunlight, it will scorch the plant and burn the leaves. There natural habitat is under forest canopies. So, the indirect sunlight or good filtered light are the best to flower your plant year around. 

Do you know that African violets do well in artificial lights also, like in your office. Thus they are flexible plants. 

2. Favorite temperature for African violets: African violets are little sensitive plants and prefer to be on there comfort zone. So, any large variation in the temperature around them can effect there blooming. the best range of suited whether for them is (18 degree C to 24 degree C) during day and (15 degree C to 18 degree C) during night.

3. If you like then use African violets pots: There are special pots for African violet, they come in two different pieces. If you want to use these pots, pot the plant directly in the top portion of the pot. These pots come with the instruction to keep the lower portion of the pot filled with water. So, the trick is not to do that until and unless the soil is dry, pour water into the lower portion put the top pot in for about an hour or until the plant is nicely moist, then pour out any unused water. 

If you do not want to buy these special pot, the same way can be adopted with the normal pot also. 

4. Water them: I just said water them not over water them. the easiest way to kill them is by over watering them. the best way to water you plant is not directly, keep a saucer underneath your pot. When you feel the soil has started to dry out simply fill the saucer.

Also do not mist the foliage, water spots on the foliage may cause permanent leaf spotting. 

5. Nourish them with fertilizer: African violets will flower more often when you fertilize them regularly. Another things these plants do not like cold water nor chlorine. 

6. Repot then in every six months to one year: The soil you use must have excellent drainage. This is critical. You can buy pre-packaged African violet soil mixes or mix your own using 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite and 1/3 perlite. Secondly, use the right sized pot because all Saintpaulia must be potbound to flower, so choose a pot that is 1/3 the diameter of the plant. 

In other words, the plant should be 3 times the diameter of the pot it is in before potting up. An African violet's root system is only about 1/3 of the diameter of your plant. A four inch (10 cm) pot is usually adequate, but measure to make sure. Choosing the proper sized container also helps prevent root rot because if you use too large and deep a pot, it will lead to excess moisture in the soil and the roots will die.

Note: If one of your African violets has developed a neck, which is that bare place where the leaves have been taken off, make sure to repot your plant as soon as possible, and make sure the neck is covered with soil when it has been replanted. It will grow new roots along the newly buried neck area.

One last note - African violet plants are pet friendly and they are not toxic to animals, so you can have as many as you want throughout your home!.