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Container Gardening: Soil
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Container gardening does pose some special considerations beyond conventional gardening. Keep in mind that, due to greater exposure to drying winds, containerized soil will need watering more often than a garden bed. You may need to water every day or even twice a day during hot, sunny weather. The best way to tell if it's time to water is by feeling the soil with your fingers. Soil-less media ... become very lightweight as they dry, so simply lifting the pot can help determine if water is needed. Water when the top inch or so of soil begins to dry.
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Container gardening offers many conveniences. Good soil, easy access and the ability to correct mistakes quickly are just a few. These rules of thumb can help you successfully combine plants to create a container garden.
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Soil is perhaps the most important ingredient for successful container gardening. Regular soil is not recommended for containers. Potting soil and soilless mixes are recommended for containers. Potting soils are composed of organic material and mineral parts. Organic parts may contain one or a combination of any two parts such as peat moss, fir bark, redwood sawdust, shavings, pine bark, or hardwood bark. Minerals may include one or a combination of vermiculite, perlite, pumice, builder' s sand, or granite sand with vermiculite, perlite and sand being the most commonly used.
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There are many benefits to container gardening the most important of which is that it requires less soil and takes up less space. People who live in apartment complexes, those with impaired mobility, and those who live in dry areas can still engage in gardening through this method. Container gardening ... requires less time than growing and nurturing a big garden so those who do not have too much free time can start a container garden.
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A fairly lightweight mix is needed for container gardening. Soil straight from the garden usually cannot be used in a container because it is too heavy, unless your garden has sandy loam or sandy soil. Clay soil consists of extremely small (microscopic) particles. In a container, the bad qualities of clay are exaggerated. It holds too much moisture when wet, resulting in too little air for the roots. Also, it pulls away from the sides of the pot when dry.
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Soil is not always best for container gardening. When ordinary soil is saturated with water, the air spaces are filled, removing essential air from the roots. This is why a soil substitute, often called potting mix, is recommended. The mix may contain some soil (called soil mix) or no soil at all (a soilless mix). Additional ingredients such as peat moss, vermiculite, and perlite allow rapid drainage but still hold sufficient water for plant growth.
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