Water Gardening in Containers by Ken Walter

Author:Ken Walter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC
Published: 1998-03-25T16:00:00+00:00

A large water garden container with built-in ledges, large and small baskets, bowls, and pots are some options for containers.

Do your actual potting in a shady, windless area. Direct sunlight will stress the bare roots, and the wind will dry the total plant excessively.

Once you’ve selected a pot, regardless of the specimen to be potted you should line that pot with a layer or two of newspaper or burlap, or a single layer of a landscaping material that allows water to penetrate; any of these will keep soil from drifting into the solution. If the pot has a small bottom, I find something small and heavy to place there. An easily tipped pot will cause real troubles in water quality.

A “heavy” garden soil is the best planting medium. Avoid organic matter in any visible form, and under no circumstances should you use a potting soil of any variety (both can foul the water). There is a special ready-made water plant or aquatic medium sold and it has merit, but it’s expensive. Completely chemical-free all-clay kitty litter can also be used as a planting medium. Both of these substitutes for garden soil require frequent additional fertilization of the plants, since neither has the mineral content necessary for plant growth. Their value comes from being available to people with no yard. They certainly are less messy!

If garden soil is to be used, locate as dry a soil as possible, or dry it enough to allow it to be screened before use. If it can’t be screened, pick out the superhard lumps and all rocks. Prepare several quarts of planting medium — even if you have too much, you can tag it and save it for later. Further prepare each batch of soil by stirring in an additive of no less than a tablespoon of dry, low-nitrogen fertilizer per quart of soil. This will encourage root growth and blossoming, and not just foliage, since nitrogen aids lush leaf growth but does not assist flowering. Place an inch or two of the amended medium in the pot and press it firmly.

Carefully separate and extend the plant’s roots as you place it in the pot. Pour the dry or damp soil through your fingers into the pot, filling in around the roots. Maintain the plant crown at the highest pot level. Press the medium firmly. When the pot is full, place it in another container of water, but don’t totally immerse the pot. Allow the water to be absorbed. After removing the pot from the water, press the soil firmly around the plant roots again. Do not hurry this stage. If you do not have firm soil, the plant will not anchor itself firmly enough to grow well. More important, the loose soil will eventually ooze into the water, making it very difficult to maintain clarity. With the pot filled with soil to its top, set it away from wind and sun to drain.

After the pot has drained for several hours, you should be able to press the soil even more firmly into it.

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