28-08-2005, 04:16 AM
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In article says...
So this is my Dumb question. what are the first steps to
planting seeds in a pot? i know about spacing my seeds when i plant
them directly in the soil, but how does spacing work in a pot?? esp
small ones? when it says, plant no less than six inches apart, is that
per seed? i m planting a few herbs, basil, parsley, marjoram, chives
and sage (cuz i love cooking w/ fresh herbs) and for rec. plants i have
some morning glory seeds.
Growing plants in containers can be tricky. With limited space the key
is to plant most efficiently putting plants in the smallest container
possible so as to not waste space and allow for more plants. This is
rather difficult since plant tags do not contain information on the size
of the root ball or a recommendation for a minimum sized pot. Therefore
you can only experiment and learn from other's experiences.
For example, the container size for growing tomatoes is a big issue.
Many people claim to have success in 5 gallon buckets or less but that
depends upon the type of tomato grown. My neighbor has a patio breed of
tomato on her balcony in a very small little pot (8" wide) and it has
grown very nice round tomatoes (but not very many). Plants like hot
peppers seem to thrive in 5 gallon buckets and over the years I have
learned to use them exclusively. You can get away with even smaller
containers for herbs like basil and parsley. Perennial herbs like
chives, sage, and oregano can start in smaller containers but if you
keep them alive for a couple of years you'll need to promote them to
larger containers if you want them to get bigger or you can split them
into several containers. If you don't just keep them as is.
I'm no expert at planting seeds in pots but when I do I tend to forget
the rules and in a say 8" pot, place 5 or 6 seeds equidistance from each
other in the soil. When they start to grow then separate into bigger
pots or let them grow as a clump of flowers. Many plants are easy to
transplant this way. The key is to start small and promote the plants
to bigger pots when necessary.
As for morning glories, this year I experimented with one in a very
small 6" pot, 5" deep. Since I grow a lot of morning glories in
containers my goal was to understand its root system better to see if I
can optimize my system next year. Eventually the root ball filled the
entire pot and started growing out the bottom. I then made a
rudimentary hydroponics system using the plastic cover of a 50 CD-R
spindle. The pot fit perfectly in the plastic cover leaving a few more
inches at the bottom which then filled with water for the roots to grow
in. Over the last month or so the roots have almost completely filled
that area too and the plant has grown more than 10' high producing a lot
of flowers in a relatively tiny little area. You might be able to get
away with something like this on a balcony although you do need
somewhere for the MGs to climb.
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