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Trust Your Plants - They Know How To Grow!
I've done a lot of container gardening over the years, and one thing is a given for potted plants: it's a life of constant change. Moving around from one part of the garden, patio or sunroom to another, moving indoors and back outdoors again, and of course the inevitable periodic re-potting. It's a wonder that plants do so well given this life of constant upheaval, but the key seems to be to just tend to their basic needs and let them do what comes naturally. When re-potting, it's a good idea in general not to disturb the root ball too much, but many plants actually benefit from having the outer surface of the root ball scuffed up a bit. This is particularly true of plants which have become rootbound, exhibiting a tangled network of roots around the outside of the soil, straining against the inner surface of the pot. When you place the plant in its new, usually larger pot you will be surrounding it with a layer of fresh soil, and of course you want the roots to grow into this new soil as quickly as possible in order to take full advantage of the added nutrients it provides. Scratching or scuffing these outer exposed roots will irritate and slightly damage them, which will trigger a healing response in the plant - it will cause the roots to grow with extra vigor in order to repair the damage and, lo and behold, the new root growth will go right into the new layer of soil, which is just what you want! Caution must be taken, of course, not to do too much damage - just a light scuffing will do. Once the plant is in its new container with the new soil, water it in well and let the plant's natural growing tendency do the work for you! Another example of letting the plant's growing nature work for you is when you separate plants that have been growing together in a single container for awhile. Last Spring, I found a potted banana plant on sale for $20 at a local nursery - but in fact it was 3 banana plants growing together in one 12" pot. My first thought was "Wow, a 3 for 1 sale!" because I knew that I could separate them and have three plants for the price of one! The problem was that their roots were hopelessly intertwined in the soil, and because the pot was so small (for 3 banana plants, that is) they were badly rootbound. Not to worry - I simply yanked the whole mess out of the pot, grabbed a pruning saw and cut the rootball into three roughly equal parts, each containing one of the plants. Naturally this required chewing up the roots rather badly, and many folks would worry that such severe treatment would kill them, but I knew that with proper care they would not only survive, they would thrive in the newfound freedom of their own pots. Each plant went into its own, roomy 16" pot (remember, they had all been sharing a 12" pot!!) and was packed all around with good 'ol garden compost. As you would expect, they drooped their leaves for about a week, then Wham! All 3 started growing and putting out fresh foliage like gangbusters!! This Spring, I'm looking at three very healthy banana plants, each fully twice the size it was when I got it, and each one with at least two budding young sprouts shooting up from the soil at its base! Three sisters not only surviving in their separate homes, but already starting their own families! They couldn't be happier, and neither could I! The moral of the story is that while you should always treat your plants with as much care as possible, when the occasion arises that you must put them through some stress, don't worry about it - just do it. Make sure that they are nice and healthy beforehand, use good gardening technique and common sense, give them all the water, food and light that they need, then just let nature take its course. You can trust those lovely, leafy friends of yours; They Know How To Grow!! Brian Dalton owns and maintains the Springtime Gardens website, and spends countless happy hours decorating and maintaining his own patio and container gardens. Springtime Gardens - Affordable Garden and Patio Decor Copyright 2005 BKD Enterprises
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news JCDecaux in talks for News Outdoor Group in Russia (AP via Yahoo! News) French outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux SA said Thursday it is negotiating to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. News Corp tightens grip on Premiere with new CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Rupert Murdoch tightened his grip on German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere by appointing News Corp executive Mark Williams as CEO in a move to get the company back on track. News Corp says Mark Williams interim Premiere CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp. executive Mark Williams has taken over as chief executive of German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere in an interim capacity, News Corp. said after the move led to renewed takeover speculation. News Corp. says Mark Williams interim Premiere CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Mark Williams, a News Corp. executive named late on Wednesday as chief executive of German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere, has taken over in an interim capacity, a News Corp. spokeswoman said on Thursday. United shares climb after news debacle (UPI) CHICAGO, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- A computer program assigning dates to news stories was partly to blame for a sell-off of United Airlines stock Monday, a Google spokesman said. Column: Palin's Nomination Good News Even For Democrats In Alaska (CBS News) So, John McCain picked Sarah Palin to be his running mate. Let me just say, wow. That's not exactly what I repeatedly shouted out when I first heard the news, but it's close enough for publication. Like everyone else, my astonished reaction wasn't due to the event itself being inconceivable - I've heard pundits debating the likelihood of a McCain / Palin ticket for months. JCDecaux in talks for News Outdoor Group in Russia (San Francisco Chronicle) French outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux SA said Thursday it is negotiating to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. In a statement, the global seller of outdoor advertising said it was in exclusive talks with Rupert... Premiere CEO Is Replaced by News Corp.'s Williams (Update2) (Bloomberg.com) Sept. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Premiere AG , the German pay- television company partly owned by News Corp., said Chief Executive Officer Michael Boernicke is being replaced by a senior News Corp. executive. News Corp exec becomes chief of Germany's Premiere (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp's chief financial officer for Europe and Asia has been named chief executive of German pay television group Premiere, following the resignation of Michael Boernicke, Premiere said on Wednesday. Get the latest news in racing (Daily Racing Form) In order to read Daily Racing Form's free daily news stories it is required that you have a DRF.com free membership. If you do not have a DRF.com free membership, please register here . You will NOT need to be logged in to read each day's free news stories. Site: news - Google News Web Sites That Dig for News Rise as Watchdogs - New York Times
MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for landscaping gardening The Natural Look, With Much Effort (New York Times) With the growing interest in sustainable gardening and the widespread dissatisfaction with the time and expense required for traditional lawn care, meadows are becoming increasingly popular. Alys Fowler on inexpensive do-it-yourself gardening (Guardian Unlimited) Gardening has never been more fashionable - or more expensive. And yet you don't have to spend a fortune. Alys Fowler of Gardeners' World explains Kurri Garden Ramble time (The Advertiser) Kurri Kurri Tidy Towns is again gearing up for its annual Garden Ramble, to be held on September 20. Seven gardens will be open for visitors to ramble through. All the gardens reflect their owners? unique designs and their passion for gardening. Business And Careers (Benson News-Sun) (ARA) - Now in its eighth season, the Emmy award-winning investigative drama CSI draws a weekly audience of about 20 million viewers. But CSI is more than simply entertainment. CENTRAL NEW YORK NEWS (The Post-Standard) Editorial assistant Brenda Duncan interviewed Nick Riciputo, 11, of Fulton, who has a passionate interest in botany. He and his mother landscape at the family business, Bronze Images in Fulton. Love of landscaping (The York Weekly) YORK and#8212; When Thomas Lovejoy was seven he would sneak into a neighbor's yard and take flower clippings to plant in his family's garden. Secrets of Season-long Stunning Color in Your Garden (Carteret County News-Times) (ARA) - In summer, there's drought; in winter, snow and cold. Does it seem like Mother Nature is determined to leach the color from your garden? It is possible to keep your garden colorful much of the year. All you need is the right combination of plants and a little green thumb savvy. Eagle Co. opts for greener gardening (Vail Daily) Neils Lunceford landscapers Red Waldron, left, and Corey Brown work on the Eagle County Xeriscape project Tuesday at the county building in Eagle. EAGLE, Colorado ? Horticulturist Laurel Potts has a message about Eagle County?s new landscape project at the county administration building in Eagle. Rooftop retreat (Rapid City Journal) For a Hisega couple, it was a case of adding a garden or living with an eyesore of a rooftop view. When Joe and Nancy Engler bought their rustic hillside home in 1991, they knew they would have to do some extensive renovation. Walkway Over the Hudson construction begins (The Voice Ledger) After 15 years, the Walkway Over the Hudson project has moved into its construction phase. The construction on the 120-year-old steel bridge will begin on the western shore of the Hudson River in Highland. Warning: MagpieRSS: Failed to parse RSS file. (> required at line 14, column 29) in /home/.hellodolly/jsteiner64/scholarlyarticles.org/landscaping-gardening/magpierss/rss_fetch.inc on line 238 Site: Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /home/.hellodolly/jsteiner64/scholarlyarticles.org/landscaping-gardening/inc/rss.php on line 26 |
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