The Practice of Growing Plants in Pots and Containers to Raise a Garden is known as Container Gardening. Container Gardening is most suitable for Urban Homes, and Multistorey Buildings of Towns and Cities.
Annuals for Container Gardens
Annuals are the most perfect container plants. They are easy to grow and flower profusely. They are suitable for window gardens, table gardens and hanging baskets
How to Raise a Container Garden?
- Select Suitable Plants
- Select Suitable Containers/Pots
- Select Suitable Growing Media/Soil and Fertilizers
- Select Proper Propagation Technique
- Prepare a Garden Calendar
- Arrange All Garden Tools
Choosing Annuals for Containers
Choose annuals that are having similar growth habits and growing requirements if you are a beginner in gardening. Choose annuals that are of same plant height with attractive foliage and colorful flowers for display purposes.
Plant Containers for Container Gardening
- Earthen pots and pans: Earthenware pots are most commonly used containers for growing annuals. Large pots provide the best condition for growth , since they can hold sufficient quantities of growing media
- Pots or baskets about 8 inches deep can usually hold enough soil good for growth
- Wooden barrels and planters: These containers should be painted from inside as well as outside with waterproof oils-paints
- Glazed clay and china (porcelain) pots, shallow bowls and troughs and pottery containers in contemporary designs: These are best suited for indoor plants
Other Types of Containers
- Boxes and Crates
- Cement Pots: Suitable for large plants
- Cans and Buckets
- Tin Boxes
- Cans and Drums
- Brass and Copper Containers: Not suitable for warm climate
- Plastic jars, pots, dishes and bowls
Shapes of Containers
- Circular-shaped containers-Round, oval, elliptical
- Cone-shaped or Pyramid-shaped containers
- Rectangular or square shaped containers
- Heart-shaped containers and others
Container Selection Criteria
- Adequate drainage: Containers should have at least one hole of an adequate size at the bottom as in earthen pots, to drain out excess water
- Containers can easily be placed on the terrace, window sills, window boxes, balcony and verandah where sunlight is available for the plants
- Containers can hold sufficient volume of media
- Containers should be lightweight and easy to handle
- Containers should be durable and free of toxic substances
- Containers should prevent root circling
Growing Media for Container Gardens
- Growing media may be prepared from a mixture of good soil; river sand; well-decomposed organic manure (compost or farmyard manure) ; nitrogenous fertilizers (urea or ammonium sulphate) and recommended insecticides and fungicides
- Growing media should be able to hold plant cuttings/seedlings firmly
- Media should be free of insect-pests and diseases
- Media should have good water-holding capacity
- Media should have excellent aeration and drainage
How to Prepare Growing Media?
- Mix good soil, river-sand and well-rotten organic manure in equal quantities with the help of a khurpi or shovel
- Make sure that the mixture is free from various soil-borne insects, termites, red ants and cut worms
- Add a small quantity of recommended fungicide to the mixture before filling it in the containers; this helps to prevent seedling rotting caused due to fungal infections
- After raising a crop for one season, the container mixture should be removed and cleaned of roots and exposed to the sun for a few days
- This growing media could then be reused after mixing one-third the quantity of organic manure and a small quantity of recommended fungicide
Propagation Techniques
Two types of propagation: Vegetative propagation and Seed propagation
- Vegetative propagation is through Cuttings; Suckers; Air Layering; Grafting; Budding etc
- Seed propagation is through seeds
Garden Calendar
Garden calendar should clearly indicate:
- Sowing Time
- Fertilizer Schedule
- Irrigation/Watering Schedule
- Weeding and Aftercare
Garden Tools
- A container garden needs to have following garden tools:
- khurpi, spade or shovel
- watering can
- small hand-sprayer
- bamboo stakes and strings
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