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Container Comparisons
If selected carefully, containers are a one-time purchase. Buy the best you can afford, it’s worth the investment. Containers should have drainage holes so excess water can drain and your plant’s roots can breathe. Containers should have drainage trays to help collect excess water and prevent your balcony surface from becoming stained and damaged and limit the amount of excess water that drips onto your neighbour’s balcony. Remember balcony rails and walls can be used for containers. Containers should be secured and weighted properly so they don’t blow over and tumble off your balcony. Using small containers? They may have to be watered twice a day during a hot summer day. Large containers? Good decision. They will have to be watered less often. Use the standard tricks to reduce the amount of soil required if that’s an issue for you. And have large containers delivered (with soil and other nursery purchases) and put into place. Terra Cotta Buy a terra cotta container because it absorbs moisture, allows a plant to breathe, is heavy, is a beautiful natural colour and texture, is usually reasonably priced and is available in many sizes and styles. But remember terra cotta can dry out quickly, needs to be watered regularly, is breakable, heavy to move and can be damaged by frost. Metal Buy a metal container because it is available in many shapes, sizes and styles, and is lightweight. Remember metal can rust and leak, be damaged by frost and needs to be weighted so it won’t tip over in the wind. Stone Buy a stone container because it is beautiful, strong, durable, heavy, holds moisture, is available in many styles and can not be damaged by frost. But stone can be expensive and is really, really heavy (have it delivered and put in place). I use my stone containers for my ponds. Water is heavy too, so makes sure that you position your pond containers before you fill them. Wood Buy a wood container because it is easy to paint, stain and customize to match your decor and is relatively light. But a wood container is available in limited shapes (think squares, rectangles), rots and deteriorates, requires regular maintenance, needs a plastic liner and sometimes leaks. Synthetic Buy a synthetic container because it is tough, lightweight (so it can be BIG), is available in many shapes, sizes and colours, can be inexpensive and is often made of recycled materials. But synthetic can look cheap and artificial, often needs to be weighted, does not develop a patina (unless you count mildew), and can crack and break in extreme cold weather. Recycle Gardeners sometimes change how they used containers. So make an effort to find a good home for your containers when you decide not to use them any longer. Return plastic pots and support nurseries and gardening stores that promote reuse and recycle programs and exchange containers with other gardeners, work colleagues, families and friends. No Soil Mixes Soilless potting mixes, typically an even mix of peat moss, vermiculite and perlite, are used in container gardens because they are light weight. These inert mixes need regular additions of nutrients – compost and organic fertilizers – for happy plants. Top dress your containers to keep soil in the pot, not all over the balcony. I use forestry grit. It’s a small gravel that is just heavy enough not to move out of the pot in a stiff wind. |
