Container Teammates

For the best planted containers you need to get the basics right, and that requires some teammates. Firstly, it’s imperative to include good drainage materials that will aid air circulation around roots to allow plants to grow. One of the best products to use is Palm Peat, which also has high water-retention and antifungal benefits. A Palm Peat brick is simply hydrated with water and used as a potting medium. After adding Palm Peat to your container potting mix, adding fertiliser will stimulate growth and give the plants the best starting point. This can be achieved with a product like Organic 3:1:5 that has all the nutrients for new and established plants. Containers dry out quickly, and so products like Hydrocache become part of the team. Not only does Hydrocache retain water, but it also includes carbon to buffer against harmful substances and retain microbes, elements and nutrients to release to the roots when needed.

Once the containers are planted up and growing well, they need feeding every 2 – 3 weeks with a supplement like Kelpak organic seaweed concentrate to improve root and flower development. All these products are available at garden centres countrywide. For more information visit www.starkeayres.com.

Get tips for choosing the right container here.

Enter the Thanks Plants Competition and stand a chance to win great prizes including plants, gardening hampers, a sketch and consultation with Tanya Visser, The Gardener/Die Tuinier magazine subscriptions and online shopping vouchers. Find more information here