How To Prepare Large Planters For Planting Make a drainage, add gravel, prepare a waterproof, add substrate, prepare a plant, make an irrigation and mulch the planter.
When I talk about large planters, I mean almost any size From a large custom-built planter to any planter, be it a stone, ceramic, metal, wood, or plastic planter purchased in a physical Garden Center or online.
In this tutorial, we take a large custom-built planter as an example; the advice is valid for any size and material.
Also, read how to make a full garden with a wooden planter.
What Size Planter Do I Need
The size of planter you need for your garden depends on the following.
- Available space
- Where it is needed indoor, outdoor, or window
- Why it is needed
- The amount of vegetable
- The material used for production
In each case, you must study well and analyze the different factors that can influence a planter’s choice.
To give a general rule, the bigger, the better, that is, planters as large as possible, depending on the space, budget, or other factors that determine the particular situation of each garden or terrace
The reason is that plants feed on the soil and extend their roots through it, so for most plants, the more substrate, the better.
Remember that planters do not exist in nature; humans invented this.
How To Prepare Large Planters For Planting Step By Step?
How To Prepare Large Planters For Planting: After buying our planter or building it expressly, preparing it for planting seems a pure formality and does not deserve special attention.
However, the secret so that the plants you will plant later develop with vitality and show off all their ornamental properties lies.
Neither more nor less than the substrate from which they will feed and the proper preparation of the planters.
How To Prepare Large Planters For Planting Step 1- Make A Drainage Hole For Your Planter
How To Prepare Large Planters For Planting: The first step is to consider drainage for any planter bought or built.
Without proper drainage, water will accumulate in the planters, rotting the soil and the roots and quickly killing the plants.
Any planter where it will be planted directly needs drainage holes.
If you build a planter, don’t forget to prepare these holes, and if you buy the planter, make sure it has drainage holes.
Sometimes the planters do not have these holes, no problem; you have to make them carefully with a drill, and that’s it.
It is recommended that there be several holes in case one becomes clogged over time, and they don’t need to be excessively large.
The size of a thumb is enough, except for custom-built planters that may be larger.
Also, read how to flower a snake plant.
How To Prepare Large Planters For Planting Step 2- Add Gravel To The Base Of The Planter
How To Prepare Large Planters For Planting: Once you have confirmed that you have drainage in your planters, the goal is for it to work.
We don’t want the planter to get clogged over time due to the soil that will compact and the roots that will grow and seek to deepen or spread toward the drainage holes.
For the drainage to work in the planters, you must place a small layer of gravel at the bottom of the planter.
The gravel varies in thickness depending on the size of the planters, between 2 and 10 cm.
I recommend that it be of the Pebble type, although there is also specific gravel for drainage.
If it is essential to reduce the weight of the planters, you can use Arlita expanded clay.
Volcanic gravel is very famous for this purpose. However, I do not recommend it if the planting project is long-term.
The volcanic gravel erodes or decomposes quickly, becoming soil over the years and can clog drainage holes.
When the planters are tiny, it is better to make the most of all the space available for the substrate, so you can place a stone in each drainage hole to protect it.
Let it be an irregular stone that does not cover it. If you lay a flat stone, you are nullifying the drainage holes.
One thing you have to think about is that the water that is going to come out through the drainage holes does not come out clean.
And if the planters are on top of walls or walls, they can stain them and cause problems due to humidity.
If your planters are large, I recommend conducting the water to where you are interested in placing some tubes directly in the drainage holes of the planter, well-sealed and with a slope so that the water can flow through them.
For small planters, you should consider placing some water collection trays (what in the pots are the plates).
Also, read how to make a planter with Brick.
How To Prepare Large Planters For Planting Step 3- Prepare A Waterproof For The Planter
How To Prepare Large Planters For Planting: It is not enough to place a layer of gravel; you must place a special plastic sheet just above the gravel.
The plastic sheet prevents the soil and roots from filtering through the pebbles over time and clogging the drainage holes.
I usually use the anti-grass mesh because it is very resistant. You can also use the Geotextile Mesh if you wish.
also learned how to waterproof a planter.
Both meshes are perforated, so they let water through. You should not use a waterproof plastic sheet because you would nullify the drainage.
You can also use the mesh to make the planters permeable.
for example, the planters are made of terracotta; they may present stains or halos as a result of watering and humidity that make them ugly,
and it is common in wooden planters to protect them a little. It simply consists of lining the planters with this mesh.
If they are made of wood, the mesh can be stapled at the edges and corners for better placement.
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How To Prepare Large Planters For Planting Step 4- Prepare A Substrate For The Planter
How To Prepare Large Planters For Planting: Once drainage is guaranteed, the most important thing is the substrate. The excellent development of the plants will depend on it, so I do not recommend that you save in this section.
No matter how good and of excellent quality the plants you are going to plant are, if you do it in a poor or inadequate substrate, the final result will be far from what you had imagined.
A suitable vegetable substrate, rich in organic matter, is the best. Have a good mix that allows drainage.
It is convenient to compact the soil well since when it was placed, it has sponged up, and with time it will compact and fall, leaving the planter lacking soil and the plants very short.
In large planters, I recommend filling them to the limit, to overflowing, because although at first, it is very uncomfortable to water.
They happen because the water immediately runs out, and over time, the soil will go down, and the planter will be perfect with that 5 – 10 cm of burr.
For smaller planters, which have less soil depth, it is not necessary to fill them as high as the compacted soil will not go down as much.
It is also convenient that there is space later so that the water does not overflow when watering them.
Learn how to make a wooden vertical succulent garden frame.
How To Prepare Large Planters For Planting Step 5- Prepare A plant For The Planter
How To Prepare Large Planters For Planting: And it’s time to plant. We will not discuss what to plant now because that goes a long way.
Now rather comment that if it is about small planters, it is better to fill them with soil only up to where the plants can be easily placed, and then with the plants already placed, finish filling the planter with soil.
However, if it is about large planters, I recommend the opposite, fill the planters to the top by compacting well and then plant the plants.
Also, learn how to build a vertical planter with pallets.
How To Prepare Large Planters For Planting Step 6- Make An Irrigation For The Planter
How To Prepare Large Planters For Planting: These planters are going to have to be watered. If you are not going to do it manually, you must install an automatic irrigation system.
It is beneficial because it will allow you to stop worrying about the issue of irrigation and take advantage of your time on other things.
And also, the plants will not die when you are on vacation.
In most cases, it is enough to connect a battery-powered irrigation programmer to a tap and install a drip irrigation tube.
What I warn you about, if you have a custom-built planter, is that it is very common to forget to leave the tubes for irrigation or decorative lighting.
When you fall into it, it is very cumbersome; for What do you keep in mind from the beginning?
Also, learn how to cultivate snake plants from seed.
How To Prepare Large Planters For Planting Step 7- Mulching The Planter
How To Prepare Large Planters For Planting: It consists of covering the surface of the planters with a layer, either organic, such as pine bark, or inorganic, such as pebbles.
The benefits are not only decorative, but it is possible to maintain humidity, protect the soil from erosion and reduce the appearance of weeds.
However, it only makes sense in planters that are not too small.
I hope I have included all the necessary advice in this article so that you can prepare your outdoor planters for planting correctly.
If I made any detail you consider essential or the result of your experience, do not hesitate to share it with friends.
Conclusion
Knowing How To Prepare Large Planters For Planting is essential for every gardener.
The wrong preparation method for your plant can lead to your plant’s death or insufficient growth.
A drainage hole is one of the most important things when using a planter or other potted plants like bonsai.
Make show to follow all the necessary steps above. I hope this article is helpful. I have all the valuable articles concerning The following;
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