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The Tui Veggie & Garden Club


 

 

Container Gardening Guide

Colourful flowers, seasonal salad greens and aromatic herbs are easy to grow in containers - perfect if you are short on space.

 

Make sure that you place your containers in an area that receives plenty of sunlight. At least 5 hours sunlight a day is recommended and as many hours as you can for fruiting plants like tomatoes or cucumbers!
 

The biggest key to success with all aspects of gardening is to get the foundations right, and healthy soil is especially important when growing in a limited area. Choose the right potting mix that supplies ample nutrients as well as creates the right soil consistency for healthy development above and below the soil. Tui has a range of quality potting mixes available for different planting needs.
 

Debco Pot Power is the crème de la crème of potting mixes, suitable for even those extra special or expensive pot plants. It’s a light friable mix that provides the ideal porous conditions for growth and we believe in it so much, we guarantee your plants will grow!
 

Tui All Purpose Potting Mix is a great multi-purpose mix for general use. It is formulated to provide excellent growth for indoor plants, including ferns and palms.  The mix sustains growth of heavy feeding plants such as vegetables and potted colour for three months, and up to nine months for certain indoor plants.
 

Tui Outdoor Container Mix is specifically designed to grow plants in containers and hanging baskets in outdoor areas. Tui Outdoor Container Mix also contains water granules to sustain the water requirements of the plant. This is ideal for plants such as flowering annuals and perennials.
 

The right container
In addition to the perfect potting mix, the perfect container has to be chosen. Ask garden centre staff for advice or research the recommended sizes for particular plants, and always make sure pots have ample drainage. Keep in mind plants grown in containers dry out quicker than garden plants so regular watering is needed.
 

Watering
Soil in pots and containers dries out quicker than soil in the garden. Saturaid soil wetter helps to prevent this. This granular soil wetter channels water to the root zone where it is needed most. It promotes even water distribution so there is less water run off and dry spots in potting mix and soils.
Sprinkle Saturaid on soils in pots, hanging baskets and grow bags every season or when repotting to further enhance water absorption and retention.

 

Here are some other general water tips

  • Water roots not foliage.
  • Water in the morning or evening to avoid water evaporation.
  • Water deeply twice a week rather than a little each day to encourage deep roots.
     

Fertilising
A controlled release fertiliser within your potting mix will provide nutrients and some mixes such as Pot Power keep feeding for up to 6 months. After that, top dress with a soluble plant food like Tui Eco-Fert. This powdered seaweed concentrate is 100% soluble and organic so 100% of the benefits are used by plants.