How to Use Large Pots for Planting
- 1). Use a lightweight soil to fill the large pot, or you will end up with a pot that weighs far more than you can move without a fork-lift. Make a mixture in a wheelbarrow of equal parts dampened peat moss, perlite and humus.
- 2). Cut a piece of fiberglass screen to fit the bottom of the container, and lay it in place to keep soil from washing out and pests from crawling into the pot.
- 3). Add a 2-inch layer of pea gravel to the bottom of the pot to improve drainage.
- 4). Add soil to the pot until it is about three-fourths full, and sprinkle with water to settle the soil. Add more soil if necessary until you have filled the pot to within 4 inches of the rim.
- 5). Dig enough soil so the roots of your plants can drop straight down into the pot, and add more soil if necessary to anchor the plants in the soil.
- 6). Water the new plants immediately, until you see the water draining from the bottom drainage holes.
- 7). Using the fertilizer recommended for the plants you are growing, fertilize the pot-bound plants once a month to make sure they get enough nutrients.