Tips for fellow gardeners:
Have you ever filled a pot with soil, poured in water only to have some of the soil wash out through the holes in the bottom of the pot?
TIP
If you’re using a large pot, place sheets of newspaper in the bottom. If the pot has four holes, you can place a square of newspaper with the points covering the holes.
If you are using a medium sized pot, use a coffee filter.
When using small pots, use toilet paper.
Eventually your plant will put down enough roots that it will hold the soil in the pots, you can then poke holes in the paper with a pencil, to allow for the best drainage.
When transplanting to the outside, you will probably find the roots have grown into the paper, there’s no need to remove it, as it will soon rot away.
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Have you ever “potted-up” and run out of the correct sized pots, and are left with pots that are too large?
TIP
Scrunch up some sheets of newspaper and put them at the bottom and around the inside of the too-large pot. Take a couple of flat sheets of paper and mold it into the center of the scrunched-up paper. You have now made yourself a smaller pot!
When transplanting outside, remove the scrunched-up newspaper, but leave the molded sheet, it will soon rot away. If the roots have grown into the scrunched-up newspaper, plant the whole thing, it’s much better to do this than disturb the roots!
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Seedling roots need to breathe! To help them: punch holes in the sides of your small pots. To make the holes, I use either a six-inch nail that has had its tip sharpened or a metal letter opener that has been sharpened to a point.
TIP
Measure the height of your pot. Divide this number into three. Punch holes one-third the way up the pot, one-inch (or so) around the diameter of your pot. Fill the pot up to these holes with perlite. Be sure there is a least one hole in the base (bottom).
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TIP
Dip the handles of your small gardening tools into brightly colored paint to make finding them easier when they have been misplaced or partially buried in the garden. I can’t tell you how much time I’ve wasted looking for my favorite trowel because it’s been covered by soil/leaves! I’ve asked hubby several times to do this, but it’s still not done.
What tips do you have to share?
How about sharing some tips?
If hubb won't paint your trowells it has to be frustrating so here are a couple of tips. 1 Stop nagging you can paint your self. Or 2 get a new hubby
great tips about the pots not the hubby. LOL0
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Use square or rectangular pots for starting plants indoors in spring.. They are more space saving than round. Large foil buffet pans make nice pans to hold seedlings in pots under the lights.
TIP
Use small-size bubble wrap to make clear plastic lids to keep the soil surface moist in your little rectangular seed pots. Cut to size, and they lay down nicely. Remove as soon as there is green.
Tip when wetting out pottting soil prior to making soil blocks or filling trays use hot water in mixes in faster and eaiser.
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Use the tip of a caulking tube as a hole divot when setting onion plants. It's the perfect diameter and depth -- just, "dot, dot, dot..." ^^_^^
TIP
A heating pad set on LOW, placed underneath a cookie rack makes a great impromptu bottom-heat source for tomato, pepper and other seeds! Just set the tray on the rack until the seedlings pop. Do NOT leave the pad on while you're away from home! ^^_^^
This message was edited Jan 11, 2011 11:46 AM
Great tips! Keep them coming...
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Gymgirl - your suggestion about using a caulking tube reminds me:
Tip
Try using a turkey baster to water young seedlings under lights. Using a regular watering can sometimes disturbs the plants, but if you are careful, the turkey baster will not. I've even used an eye dropper when seedlings first break through the surface, but I have time on my hands to do such things. LOL
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If you have the time and patience - sow a single seed into 3 oz plastic Solo cups - poke holes in the cups first. This saves seeds, and money purchasing "peat pots". I've never liked the idea of thinning perfectly good seedlings. I use tweezers to pick up and place the individual seeds. If the seeds are extremely small, I use a jewlers loupe to see them!
This message was edited Jan 12, 2011 3:33 PM