This July Container Garden Check Can Save Your Potted Plants
My container garden is looking pretty tired after such a hot start to summer, but there’s still so much of the season left and I’m not ready to let them fade away. That’s why I’m doing this one particular July check to see what my containers need to keep blooming into fall.
It’s a container garden trick I do every year around mid-July – gently removing the rather sad-looking plants from their pots to observe root health. Often, I find overcrowded roots are the culprit, stunting growth and causing stress. Rehoming the plants to a larger pot is an easy solution, giving them a second lease of life for the rest of summer.
It’s also a good time to do a soil test to see if your pots are nutrient deplete and need some fertilizer to continue looking spectacular (this rapid soil test kit on Amazon makes it easy to identify which nutrients are needed). Here, I explain how this quick July container garden check works.
How to Check Potted Plants in July
(Image credit: Nicola Stocken/Future)
If your container plants are wilting, drooping, or fading sooner than you expected, then you can do this July container garden check to revive them.
It’s worth noting, this is most useful for the likes of evergreens and perennials that live in the same pots year after year, rather annuals that will naturally fade after one season.
Before attempting to remove your plants from your container, you should water them to make it easier to remove and prevent dry, brittle roots snapping.
I actually like to use self-watering terracotta spikes (like these on Amazon) in many of my container plants, which helps keep the soil consistently watered during summer.
You should then slide the root ball out of the pot, gently twisting if it’s proving stubborn.
Take a close look at the roots. A healthy root system is one that is white and firm, and there should be plenty of soil left in the pot.
At this point, if your plants seem to be healthy below surface level, you may wish to do a soil test (this soil test kit from Amazon is also highly rated) to identify if there’s a nutrient deficiency. This is likely if your perennials have been growing in the same pot and soil for a few years, as nutrients deplete over time.
You can then use a fertilizer to give your plants a boost of essential plant nutrients.
The best fertilizer for your container plants will depend on what they are and what is needed. If it’s a blooming plant, you can use a phosphorus-rich bloom booster feed (like this from Walmart). Or, if you want to encourage more leafy growth, you can opt for a nitrogen-rich feed (like this one from Amazon).
If your plant needs a general lift, an all-purpose fertilizer can work well, like this Miracle-Gro fertilizer at Lowe’s.
If, however, the roots are wrapping around each other and seem tightly packed in the pot, it indicates that they’re a bit overcrowded and need a bigger home to continue supporting healthy growth.
The fix is simple: repot your plant into the next size planter, i.e. a planter 1-2″ bigger in diameter than the current pot.
I find these sets of plant pots on Amazon handy because you can upgrade to a pot of the same style, so you don’t compromise the look of your carefully curated container garden.
You should take care not to upgrade to a pot too big too quickly. It can encourage root rot because the soil will take longer to dry out.
Some light pruning will also encourage new growth, focusing on removing dead and damaged plant material, including deadheading spent blooms. Always use clean and sharp pruning tools for this, like these Fiskars bypass pruning shears on Amazon.
What to Shop
This potting mix is a special nutrient-rich, well-draining blend to support container garden plants.
These Felco F2 pruning shears are ideal for tending to potted plants. They have replaceable parts to last for years of gardening.
This ceramic floral plant pot has a vintage feel. It has drainage holes to aid moisture management.
If your potted plants are still struggling even after making these adjustments, it might be that you’re making some container gardening mistakes. I like to use a soil moisture meter (from Amazon) to check my pots’ soil to make sure I’m not overwatering my plants.
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