Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Watering and caring for container plants
It’s been hot, it’s been humid and our containers are looking a bit bedraggled.
It’s mid-Summer and, in my area, we are entering a week in the 90’s. I’m in zone 4. We don’t particularly care for weather this hot. It’s also going to be mostly dry.
I just bought a couple new containers and found some bargains on annuals.
Right about now your petunias are likely getting a bit leggy, you can pinch them back and watch for more growth. We should be fertilizing our annuals now as all the watering you we must do, leaches out any fertilizer they had when planted. For overall health, use an all-purpose fertilizer.
Soluble fertilizers are easy to use and are a good choice for container plants, where rooting space is at a premium and nutrients are often lost through frequent watering.
Large, fast-growing plants may need more nutrients than slow-release fertilizers can provide, so keep an eye on your plants and supplement if needed. Think WAVE petunia!
Also, be sure to read the directions for fertilizing on the package. Over fertilizing will damage the plant, browning the leaves.
Right now, we’re watering at a minimum of once a day, I’m watering some of my containers twice a day, in particular those plants in small pots where they really don’t have any room to send their roots in search of more moisture.
The plants above have different watering needs. The ones in the terra cotta pot will require more watering due to the pot being porous and smaller. The large pot above retains moisture better and the Elephant Ear just needs to be monitored.
One suggestion I’d not heard before comes from the University of MN Extension – mulch your containers!
Photo: Anne Sawyer
Not only does mulch minimize water loss from evaporation, but it also moderates soil surface temperatures, keeping plant roots a bit cooler in the hot summer sun. Furthermore, mulch prevents soil from splashing onto plant leaves during rain or watering. I mulch my veggies in the garden but hadn’t thought to do that with container plants. Anne Sawyer said she’s amazed at how much the mulch has cut down on her watering!
