General Gardening
5 Tips for Potted Plant Care
It isn’t difficult to care for potted plants, but some beginner gardeners (and even more experienced gardeners) have trouble keeping them alive. Turn your black thumb into a green thumb by remembering these 5 easy care tips for potted plants.
Gardener's Library: How to Grow Practically Everything
How to Grow Practically Everything book is a must-have for every balcony container gardener's bookshelf. Click on the book’s title or photo to visit Amazon.com and learn more.
Protect Your Balcony Floors with Raised Containers
A simple tip to keeping your balcony floors in good condition is to keep your plant containers off the floors. Setting them directly on the floor can cause a lot of water to sit on the floor, which can slowly lead to damage.
There are products you can buy, called pot risers or pot feet, which you can place underneath the pot. These work well, but you can also use plant stands, plant container caddies or rollers (very handy if you want to move plants around or have heavy plants), or improvise and place other items below the plant's pot. Just make sure that the container plant won't easily fall over!
If you use dishes underneath your plant pots, it will protect your floor but may also collect water after it rains or if you overwater. Water that is left in the dishes may attract mosquitoes and other garden pests, and it will keep the potting soil too moist and may eventually lead to root rot. I personally use plant dishes under my plant pots, and I drain the water onto the floor or into another pot so the plant doesn't sit in stagnant water for too long.
In the photo above, the containers are raised with simple bricks. Any item that is sturdy, level and will not break down outdoors in the elements will work as a plant riser.
Now go out there and get your plant pots off the ground!
Gardener's Library: Garden Up!
Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening for Small and Large Spaces is a must-have for every balcony container gardener's bookshelf. Click on the book’s title or photo to visit Amazon.com and learn more.
