Stewart Garden Planters

Tips on How to Plant up your Pots

Once you’ve carefully selected your pot from the Stewarts range, you’ll probably be wondering what to do next. Here’s a few handy hints and tips from us here at Crowders:

• After choosing your planters, its important to make sure there are sufficient drainage holes in the bottom, as water-logged compost can cause roots to rot, and plants to die. Some ranges from Stewarts come with pre-drilled holes: Wave, Low Honey Pot, Sylvan, Ancient Stone, Cillindro, Gothic and Grapes. The Palladian range has spikes located inside the pot, which can be easily cut off- providing adjustable drainage hole size. The Corinthian, Regency, Zurbano, Egg Pot and Smithy Tubs ranges all have marks  for drainage holes- which can be drilled easily using a drill on a slow speed.
• Once your pots are prepared with drainage holes, its important to choose the right compost. Don’t use soil from the garden as its not nutritious enough; use a good potting compost, mixed with slow-release fertiliser and water retaining gel. Your compost should be moist, but not wet.
• Use the empty plastic bag and crumple it up into the bottom of your pot (if its a large pot) or add broken bits of terracotta pot, brick or stone to aid drainage and reduce the need for so much compost.
• Fill the pot nearly to the top with compost, and compact it down. Choose your largest plant and centralise it in the pot, digging a hole big enough for the whole rootball. Add the compost around the root and firm in with your fingers.
• Continue planting around the central plant- you cna plant closer together in a planter than you can in the ground.
• Finally- sprinkle some more slow-release fertiliser on top of the compost and water immediately. This will ensure your plants receive food and water quickly, and get them off to a good start.
• Position your new planter wherever you like on your patio or decking- and stand back and admire!

Snip Tip: Watch out for roots poking out through drainage holes. If you can see them- re-pot your plants quickly, or the compost will dry out very quickly.