LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

Container Gardening Gives People More Options

Not everyone has a yard where they can grow plants. Even people with a yard may not have the sun exposure or drainage needed to grow what they want or the physical ability to tend an in-ground garden. Those of us who do have in-ground gardens can also enjoy the cheer brought by containerized plants on the patio, porch, or deck.

Two of the most important things to know about growing plants in containers relate to drainage: Make sure the container has adequate holes in the bottom (unless you’re growing something like Louisiana irises) and use a potting mix, not true soil. Real garden soil does not drain well enough when it’s in a container.

In the Southeast, potting mixes are often made up of some combination of pine bark and peat moss, with lime to adjust the pH and, sometimes, slow-release fertilizer.

While growing in pots requires making sure you have adequate drainage, you’ll generally also need to water plants in containers more frequently than those in the ground. How often depends on the size of the pot, sun exposure, temperature, and other factors. You can stick your finger in the potting mix to get an idea of how wet it is. With a small pot, you can also gauge how dry it is by picking it up and feeling its weight.

Slow-release fertilizer usually works well for containerized plants. One application early in the growing season can provide nutrients for several months. However, in our hot, humid climate, nutrients are released more quickly than in cooler, less rainy climates. So, a slow-release fertilizer probably won’t provide nutrients for as long as the product label says it will. If needed, you can make another application of slow-release fertilizer or use water-dissolved fertilizer from time to time. If the plant is one that you want to harden off before cold weather arrives, avoid using slow-release fertilizer late in the growing season.

Containerized plants provide both a benefit and a challenge when it comes to protecting them from cold temperatures. On one hand, having plants in containers allows us to move them to a protected area. On the other hand, the roots of plants in pots are more exposed to temperature fluctuations than those in the ground. So, some root-hardy tropical plants that would not need to be protected if planted in the ground may need to be protected when in pots.

Keep in mind that you still need to choose plants that are suited to the amount of sun or shade that your site gets.

Let me know if you have questions.

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Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).