Preparing Your Garden Pots For Planting
When you are picking out garden pots for your garden or outdoor landscaping, there are a few things to consider when making your choices. Size, color and style are important but so is the material used for making the pots. Not all planters or garden pots need preparation, but there are a few that do. If you are using wood planters, it may be necessary to treat the wood with a water proofing sealer to help prevent rotting. Some woods, such as cedar, can be left untreated. Left untreated, this wood will weather beautifully for a rich appearance. You can either line the inside of the wood planter with sheets of plastic or place a holding pot inside the wood planter thus creating the look that the wood planter is actually holding the plant.
Terracotta (or clay) pots perform better and actually last longer when they are coated on the inside with a waterproofing sealant. This will also help keep your pots from getting water and calcium stains. If you do accidentally break a garden pot, you can use the shards by putting them over the drain holes of your other pots before adding soil. Put the shards in so that the bend (or what was the inside of the pot) is facing down. This acts as a barrier to keep the soil from washing out the hole but also keeps the hole clear from debris. You can also use a small piece of screen to cover the hole. Another option is to line the bottom of the pot with medium sized rocks instead of pottery shards. The rocks also act as a filter for excess water.
Repeat containers on steps for a stunning effect.
If you plan on putting a garden pot on a deck (which is one of the advantages of container gardening in the first place), you will want to have the pot raised off the wood so any water that leaks out the bottom will evaporate. To do this, you may have to purchase a pot stand or pot feet. Pot feet are small clay or ceramic “feet” that the pot can sit on and can usually be purchased anywhere pots are sold. The best options for pots placed on a deck are metal, fiberglass or resin. Metal pots are lightweight since they are usually hollow. Fiberglass and resin are excellent choices because they look incredibly similar to concrete or stone without the extra weight.