Container Gardening Complete

Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 114 6/5/17 3:00 PM
Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete
Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 115 5/24/17 11:13 AM

114 chapter 2

About Fruit Pollination

If you’ve done everything right and the plants

flower prolifically but don’t bear fruit, poor

pollination is probably to blame. To solve the

problem, first make sure you have the correct

pollination partner for your plant. Remember,

many fruits are not self-fertile and without

another variety with which to swap pollen, fruit

production will be minimal or nonexistent. Next,

most fruits require insects to move pollen from

flower to flower, and some plants rely heavily

on certain pollinators. Blueberries, for example,

are best pollinated by bumblebees. To ensure

the presence of ample pollinators, also include

plenty of flowering plants in your container

garden. Surround potted fruit trees, shrubs, vines,

brambles, and herbaceous fruits with lots of

annuals, perennials, herbs, and other pollinator-

attracting flowers. The more pollinators you have

around, the more fruit you’ll be able to grow.

Encourage pollinators, including European honeybees and North American native bee species such as this

bumblebee, by including lots of flowering plants near your fruiting trees, shrubs, and brambles.

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Designing and Planting Your Containers 115

PLANTING YOUR

CONTAINERS

Once the plants for your containers have been

carefully selected and your pots have been filled

with soil, it’s time to get planting, following a

simple rule of thumb: arrange first, plant second.

Keep the plants in their nursery pots and

arrange them on top of the soil before doing

any actual planting—this allows the plants to

be moved around and reorganized. Confirm the

mature height of all the varieties by reading the

pot tag or checking online before settling on

where to place each plant. As you shuffle the

plants around, keep a particular design style in

mind, then, when satisfied with their placement,

start the planting process.

When slipping a plant out of its nursery pot,

carefully put one hand over the top of the pot

and weave your fingers around either side of the

stem. Use the other hand to flip the pot over and

gently knock the mass of soil and roots out of the

container and into your waiting hand. Once the

plant is out of its nursery pot, inspect the roots

prior to planting. If they are circling around inside

of the container, loosen them prior to planting.

Skipping this step means the roots will continue

to circle around in a ball instead of growing out

into the soil and filling their new, larger home.

To loosen pot-bound roots, use your fingers, a

soil knife, or a trowel to gently rip apart the outer

surface of the root mass. Don’t be afraid of tearing

the fine root hairs and even a few of the bulkier

roots. Doing so only encourages a more branched

root structure that will more quickly spread out

into the potting soil. If the roots are extremely

pot-bound, you may need a pair of pruning shears

or even a small folding saw to loosen them.

Plant each plant to the same depth it was

inside its nursery pot. You may need to add more

soil to your container as you plant, or perhaps

take some of the soil out to make room for all of

the plants.

If you’re planting seeds directly into containers,

study the seed packet prior to planting to determine

seed spacing, planting depth, and timing.

Once everything has been planted, water the

container thoroughly. If you find the potting mix

settles too far and exposes the tops of root balls

or drops way below the upper rim of the pot, add

a bit more potting mix to the top, but be careful

not to pile it around plant stems or you could risk

girdling the plants.

Before planting your containers, arrange and rearrange

the nursery pots on the soil surface until you’re

satisfied with the layout. Only then should you begin

planting your arrangement.

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