A Guide to Spring Potted Plants

It is almost spring, hoorah! Warmer days are ahead, and stores will soon be filled with spring flowers.

I love to fill a porch with hanging baskets and potted plants to make it feel more inviting. However, just because temperatures are rising during the day and the buds are blooming. We should still be attentive to the colder night temperatures and the individual needs of each plant to better protect them.

Here are a few tips to help keep your plants in full bloom this spring and into the summer months.

o Finding and purchasing the right plant for you.

Take into consideration if you want an annual or a perennial plant. Annual plants will only live for one year, but they are less expensive and produce bright colored flowers. Perennials are more expensive and will still go dormant in the winter but will bloom again in the spring for a few more years. Read the plant’s sale tag and do some more research on your desired plant and decide if it is right for you.

o Pre-potted plants and hanging baskets.

If you buy a pre-potted plant or a hanging basket from a retail florist. The plants should be easy and ready to go upon purchase. Be sure to be attentive to the suggested sunlight, water intake, and if any additional fertilizer is needed. Be aware that hanging baskets will drain faster than potted plants on the ground and are more sensitive to wind speed.

o Transplanting a flat of flowers in separate planters or pots.

It is popular to buy a whole flat of flowers or plants from a retail store, and re-planting them yourself in bigger pots or in the ground. This would allow you to get more bang for your buck by purchasing more flowers for less money.

1. Identify the right size planters for your plant.

2. Choose the right soil. The soil will depend on the type of plant species, but a general potting mix should do your plant well. Quality mixes should be lightweight and contain peat, bark, perlite, or vermiculite in it.

3. Dig out a section of the soil in the planter for your plant that is deep enough to create a strong root system. You can put more than one plug plant into a planter pot just be sure they will have enough room to grow and not become root-bound.

4. Gently remove plug plant from flat and insert into the new planter. Cover up with dirt at the base of roots.

5. Sprinkle granular fertilizer on top of the soil and not on the plant.

6. Place in appropriate sunlight and water as needed.

o Bring plants inside during the colder nights.

Flowers will thrive during the peak of the day, but if temperatures drop below 45 degrees, they are more likely to freeze and should be brought inside for the night. An older, more developed plant can withstand 32 degrees, but younger plants and seedlings are more vulnerable under 45-degree temperatures. They can be kept inside a garage or just inside the doorway of an apartment on a floor mat works well too.

Follow this simple guideline, and you should soon see your spring plants flourish and invite springtime in at full force!