Container gardening is a space-saving practice of growing plants in pots and planters and other containers that may be available. Generally used for decorative purposes, strategic container gardening can also be used to grow vegetables and fruits that do not require much hassle and space. Efficient use of small spaces can be made with creativity to make your house or any other place look very attractive.

The garden pots can be anything from cups to plastic tubs; anything that can accommodate a plant’s roots in it will work fine. Following are the top five easy container gardening tips that all gardeners –beginners or advanced – should keep in mind before starting a DIY project:

Drainage – The containers in which you are planting should have enough holes in the bottom to drain water because excess water can make your plants die. You can make holes in the container that you may be using by drilling or using a sharp knife.

Feeding the Plants – The plants that are grown in containers do not have the regular nourishing soil so make it a point to add fertilizer and other nutrients once every week or so.

Plant Tags – These tags will guide you about your plants like how long they will grow or the amount of light and water your plants need. It will also have a description of the correct handling for the plants and what temperatures to keep them at.

Healthy Neighbors – If you are planting more than one type of plant in a single container, be sure to group the plants that require the same temperature, sunlight and water.

Keep the Changes Gradual – Plants find it hard to adjust to abrupt changes in their surroundings. So even if you need to move a potted plant around keep it gradual and give the plant time to adjust to the surroundings.

Advantages of Container Gardening

Container gardening offers a lot of advantages for gardeners who want to plan a garden but are limited to small spaces. Consider the following;

• This practice lowers the risk of soil diseases which are common when plants are grown directly in the ground as they are more exposed to pests.
• Because garden pots are limited by size, you can easily control the growth of weeds.
• You can move your plant around very easily to expose it to the desired sunlight, moisture and temperature levels.

Hanging Plants

Hanging plants are simple and attractive ways of decorating any room as they prove to be very eye-catching additions in a plain surrounding. But before going for such an arrangement the weight of the plants and the planters should be kept in check to avoid any disasters.

To keep the furniture and floors clean, you can place the pot in another pot so that nothing gets dirty. Watering such plants is tricky and advanced gardeners can make a pulley system to lower the container while watering. But using ladders and long watering cans can be a more practical option.

Vertical Gardening

Vertical gardening is great for those individuals who have an eye for aesthetics, a pair of creative hands and an imaginative mind. In small spaces a blooming garden can be planned if the art of vertical gardening is efficiently used.

You can use ladders or have frames made specially to set up a vertical garden, be practical in the design to watering the plants does not become very tricky.