Pot Grown Guide - How To Plant A Pot Grown Plant

Most plants are purchased as pot-grown, or container-grown. This means that the plant is displayed growing in a pot that you bring home.

• When you get container grown plants home, they are planted by digging a hole the size of the pot, removing the plant from the pot, making sure that the top of the soil of the plant's root ball is level with the top of the surrounding soil, and then water well. It could not be any easier, or at least so it seems.
• Growing plants in containers is a unique production system compared to growing plants in field soil. Container plants are grown in substrates that contain a limited amount of water, retain small quantities of nutrients, and confine roots in a limited volume. Consequently, production inputs such as irrigation and fertilisation require precise and properly timed applications in quantities that result in maximum benefit to the container plant production system.
• Irrigation is a very important aspect of plant production and container-grown plants require uniformity of application and more frequent than plants planted in the ground.
• Make sure the planting area is free of weeds for at least two years and water is important for new plants.  Watering should be regular for the first year of the new plant life.  Test for sufficient moisture by using your finger.  Dig down about 2-4 inches just outside the root mass of the plant and water if the soil feels dry.
• Newly planted shrubs, trees, etc should be checked and watered every other day for the first two weeks at least.  After the first two weeks limit watering to once a week if less than 1 inch of rain falls during the week.  Thorough soakings that moisten the soil to the entire depth of the root mass are better than frequent light watering.

 Choosing compost

•  Many terms including soil, media, soil less media, medium, potting or container mixes are used to describe potting materials for growing plants. However, many of these terms are imprecise or confusing.
• Container mixes or potting mixes imply that more than one component is used in potting and growing plants.  Choose composts that are best adapted to plants and management.

 Controlled Release Fertiliser

• Controlled-release fertilisers may supply essential plant nutrients for an extended period of time (months). Fertilisers are available that contain different mechanisms of nutrient release and different components.
• Mix controlled-release fertilisers uniformly
• Do not broadcast fertiliser on spaced containers.