Potted Plant Care

Watering – it’s best to check the moisture level of your potted plants at the same time every week because then there’s less chance you’ll forget to water them. If the first inch of soil is dry water the plants thoroughly. Generally there will be about half an inch of space between the top of the container and the soil. Pour water gently into the container until half that space is filled, stop adding water and then let all the excess water drain out the bottom of the pot. It’s very important that the pot doesn’t sit in a pool of water!

Fertilizing – sometimes plants in the ground don’t need fertilizer but plants in containers will always need a new source of nutrients at some point because any nutrients that the plant doesn’t use will eventually drain out of the pot with the excess water. There are a lot of fertilizers out there and each is different. Most will be beneficial but some will certainly be better than others. It’s best to go to a local plant store, ask for advice and then carefully follow the instructions on the package. Small Spot Gardens uses a dry organic fertilizer on outdoor containers every 3 months and a liquid fertilizer for indoor plants once a month.