subject: Feeding Plants And Watering Them Along With Pots And Potting Up [print this page] Pots And Potting: Pots And Potting:
Plastic pots arent just substitutes for clay ones. You will discover a variety 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 also available, but they must only be used as temporary homes for plants until the ultimate potting up or planting out stage.
Figure out how 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 your left hand across the soil surface. Invert and gently knock the rim of the pot on the staging and lift off the pot. If there is a matted mass of roots around the soil ball, then it is pot bound and repotting is needed.
Never use ordinary garden soil for filling pots. Use a peat based or soil-based compost and never jump from a tiny pot to a large one when repotting. If you do, your new compost may well become sodden and new root growth will be inhibited. Use a pot that is only a couple of sizes larger than the present one.
Put a layer of compost in the bottom of your 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 it in the shade for about a week.
Feeding Plants:
Plants require food to stay healthy. With a high-yielding crop, like 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 by means of a watering can. Foliar feeding is an interesting technique which can be used when root feeding is ineffective due to disease or injury.
Watering:
When you are growing plants in a greenhouse then obviously they are going to depend on you for water. In the summer, plants may require watering twice each day, in the winter they might 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 you should water thoroughly. Growing bags have their own special rules - follow the manufacturers advice.
Another good tip is to water according to the weather. Plants need a lot more water on a sunny day than on a cloudy one. For watering individual plants, the perfect buy is a can with a long spout so that you can reach the rear of your greenhouse staging. If the house is a big one a watering can is not realistic, you will require 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 must be damped down by spraying the floor and staging with water. The plants need to be misted with a fine spray.
