WATERING

Nothing looks better than a balcony, patio, or bare brick wall when decorated with a show of beautiful blooms growing in some type of container, whether it's a window box, hanging basket, or a tub. When asked what I consider the most important part of container growing I have to say "watering".
1. Always ensure that the container you are using has a sufficient amount of drainage holes. If the excess water cannot drain away then the roots will rot away.
2. When planting up a container make sure you add some type of medium to cover the drainage holes i.e.: old broken pots-gardening gravel-or my favourite polystyrene chips.
3. Using moisture-retaining granules is excellent for retaining some of the moisture and then giving it back to the soil when needed.
4. Don`t ever let your container sit in a saucer or dish containing water, always empty it after the surplus water has drained away from the soil.
5. If your not sure if your container needs watering put your finger about 1" into the soil to check for moisture (a commercially made moisture metre is always a useful piece of equipment to have.)
6. If your container is sitting on a solid base lift it up onto some pot feet or place it on two pieces of wood or a couple of bricks to aid drainage,but make sure you don`t put them under the drainage holes.