10 Tips for Healthy Container Plants: Part 2
See Part 1 of "10 Tips for Healthy Container Plants."
6. Learn to identify pests. Healthy container plants can stand a small number of pests, but those pests will breed and become a problem. Keep an eye out for garden pests and nip the problem in the bud once you see them. Learn about the common balcony garden pests >>
7. Fertilize. Potting soil only has so many nutrients. After a year or two, the soil will be devoid of its original nutrients. Use a vermicomposting bin to add compost to your plant containers – this will help your plants grow fast and look their best. You can also use many of the commercial fertilizers and either add a liquid fertilizer once a week while watering or add a dose of slow-release fertilizer less often. Don’t use too much fertilizer in your plant containers, as the nutrients will burn the roots, and do not fertilize when plants are dormant (the best time to fertilize is during the plant’s active growing season). Learn more about vermicomposting>>
8. Take sensitive plants indoors for the winter. Most container plants won’t survive in a balcony garden covered with snow. Save your plants from the harsh elements and keep only very hardy container plants outside during harsh winters. Learn more about overwintering plants >>
9. Be patient. A container plant in your balcony garden may look like it is dying or almost completely dead. A seed may be taking "forever" to germinate. A plant may not flower quickly enough. But have patience. Be patient and give your plants time to grow. If you are patient, your plants will give you beautiful flowers, delicious fruits and vegetables and beauty.
10. Have realistic expectations. Be realistic in how much work you can and are willing to do for your container plants and how long you can spend in your balcony garden. And know what plants you will be able to grow based on the space and light available. If you are not realistic when planning and acquiring plants for your garden, you’re just setting your plants up for failure! They need your care and the correct conditions to thrive, and it’s not too hard to provide them that!
Now that you know these 10 tips for healthy container plants, you should be able to grow and maintain a beautiful balcony container garden. Make sure to check out all of BalconyContainerGardening.com’s Plant Fact Sheets for care information. Also join BalconyContainerGardening.com on Facebook and get frequent updates about plant care and balcony garden design!
