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Index : Container Plants & Patio Gardening
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- 18. Container Plants Need Extra Summer Care - Top
- Container plants are much more vulnerable to the ravages of summer heat and sun than those planted in the ground. Therefore, special care should be provided to help them survive, and more importantly, thrive during the dog days of Summer.
Placement of container plants is very important. Those being grown outside on patios, or entryways should ideally have some protection from afternoon sun. This protection could be shade from house walls or overhangs, from privacy walls or fences, or from shade trees. It isn't necessary that shade be provided all afternoon. Most plants thrive where shifting shade provides protection for just a few hours. Also think about moving pots to temporary locations during the heat of Summer, then you can move them back in the Fall.
Flowers and vegetables planted in pots will need a minimum of 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. With less than 6 hours of sun these plants will not flower and fruit properly. Many leafy plants however, can get by with little or no direct sunlight.
New, light-weight pots made with a product called "thermo-lite" make it easier to move them around. They have the appearance of terra-cotta, and even upon close inspection, are hard to tell from the real thing! Thermo-lite containers are now available from a number of garden supply stores in the Tucson area.
In addition to proper location, the amount of water supplied container plants is also critical. Because air circulates around, and sun shines on container sides, the soil inside dries out rapidly during the summer. Daily watering for small and medium sized containers is a must. Larger, barrel-sized containers may go a day or two between waterings. You'll know how often to water by the appearance of your plants. If they begin to wilt between waterings, then water more often.
Always water enough to thoroughly moisten the soil from top to bottom. When water begins running out the drainage holes, you've watered enough. Pots setting on saucers should not be allowed to stand in their own drainage water. Dump it out after watering, or better yet, fill the saucer with gravel and set the pot on top. In this way, water will collect in the gravel while the pot sets on top. Keeping the pot out of the drainage water will prevent harmful uptake of excess salts that can injury plants.
Sometimes container soils can become "hydrophobic". That's when potting soils high in peat dry out and actually repels water. When that occurs, it may seem as though the pot is accepting water, but in fact, water is simply running off the soil and down the inside edges of the container. Plants that are being watered regularly, but show signs of moisture stress may be "hydrophobic". To wet the soil and correct this condition, add a few drops of liquid dish washing detergent to your water. Water plants slowly with this solution. The soap breaks the barrier to water so it can be absorbed by the soil. You need only treat with this soapy solution one or two times a year.
To conserve moisture in pots, cover the soil with a mulch. The best mulch for containers is a fine bark, such as forest mulch. Just a one inch layer blanketing the soil will reduce evaporation, moderate soil temperatures and reduce fluctuations in soil moisture. When potting plants always leave room at the top for mulch.
Finally, to keep container plants healthy, fertilize on a regular basis. Flowering and fruiting plants should be fertilized with a liquid solution every two weeks. Green, leafy plants should be fertilized once a month from spring to fall. Granular, slow release fertilizers are also excellent for providing nutrients to container plants. They last from four to six months or longer, so one application can do the job all season long.
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Written by John Begeman, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona, 520-626-5161.
Material originally appeared in Arizona Daily Star gardening column, on July 14, 1999
- Updated: April 20, 2001
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