I bought two lavender plants and a galvanised embossed container (no
drain holes). I currently have the plants in their own pots and placed
the pots inside the container.
Two questions:
-Will the plants be happy in the pots (they look to be a little
root-bound), occasionally taking them out of the container to give them
a watering?
-If the plants need to come out of their pots, could I put some drainage
holes into the container, put some potting mix into the container and
put plants in? Can plants live in metal containers? Would I have to line
it or paint the inside of the container?

A new nursery has opened at Riverstone NSW (Windsor Rd and Hobart St).
Looks like they will be opening a cafe at some stage too. Grand opening
on the 24th November. (No affliation with said).

Thanks for any tips.
Trish.


--
Trish Stadelmaier
Equinox Audio
http://www.equinoxaudio.com.au

Sydney Australia

Dear Trish,

Drainage is most important so if you plan to keep your lavender in pots you
will need drainage holes. Consider the type of potting mix you will use.
Look for a good freedraining mix with soil if it is for the long term.

Remember to fertilise it regularly and by using a wetting agent you'll need
to water a little less.

Keep the lavender trimmed and you'll find it's root system more in
proportion to the top. You could try using a saw to trim the roots in spring
where they may be balling (I know you can do this with trees) just lift it
out of the pot & slice thinly down the sides.

Root balling will cause the plant to die eventually so look for an inner pot
with grooves down the side designed to stop this. Best of luck, Heather.
"Trish" wrote in message
...

I bought two lavender plants and a galvanised embossed container (no
drain holes). I currently have the plants in their own pots and placed
the pots inside the container.
Two questions:
-Will the plants be happy in the pots (they look to be a little
root-bound), occasionally taking them out of the container to give them
a watering?
-If the plants need to come out of their pots, could I put some drainage
holes into the container, put some potting mix into the container and
put plants in? Can plants live in metal containers? Would I have to line
it or paint the inside of the container?

A new nursery has opened at Riverstone NSW (Windsor Rd and Hobart St).
Looks like they will be opening a cafe at some stage too. Grand opening
on the 24th November. (No affliation with said).

Thanks for any tips.
Trish.


--
Trish Stadelmaier
Equinox Audio
http://www.equinoxaudio.com.au

Sydney Australia

Trish wrote:
I bought two lavender plants and a galvanised embossed container (no
drain holes). I currently have the plants in their own pots and placed
the pots inside the container.
Two questions:
-Will the plants be happy in the pots (they look to be a little
root-bound), occasionally taking them out of the container to give them
a watering?

How big are the pots they are in? If they are the average herb pot, then
no way. If they are big pots that you might buy a shrub in, then it's
possible. Also, what kind of lavender? Normal lavender will try to grow
1 mtr or more wide and/or high, so look at your pots with that in
mind. You can get some called I think, Munstead and maybe Hidcote as
well, that grow much smaller.

-If the plants need to come out of their pots, could I put some drainage
holes into the container, put some potting mix into the container and
put plants in? Can plants live in metal containers? Would I have to line
it or paint the inside of the container?

They should be able to live in metal containers, except that the
containers will get hot in the sun and you'll have to water a lot. They
would definitley need drainage holes. How big are the containers? It
would be good if they were at least a foot across, or even bigger.

Another potential problem I just thought of, if you leave them in their
pots, make sure the pots never sit in water inside the container.

Jane

Jane VR wrote:

How big are the pots they are in? If they are the average herb pot, then
no way.

Yes, similar size as a herb pot. About 12cm.


Also, what kind of lavender?
You can get some called I think, Munstead and maybe Hidcote as
well, that grow much smaller.

Munstead


They
would definitley need drainage holes. How big are the containers?

I have one container for two pots. The container is about 40cm long,
13cm wide and about 15cm high. It's a galvanised container that has a
daisy pattern embossed onto it. It's quite a nice combination of the
silver container and the deep mauve flowers of the lavender.
It looks like I could leave them in their own pots for a while, but may
need to transfer them as they get bigger, into the container or
something bigger again?

Trish


--
Trish Stadelmaier
Equinox Audio
http://www.equinoxaudio.com.au

Sydney Australia

Trish wrote:


I have one container for two pots. The container is about 40cm long,
13cm wide and about 15cm high. It's a galvanised container that has a
daisy pattern embossed onto it. It's quite a nice combination of the
silver container and the deep mauve flowers of the lavender.
It looks like I could leave them in their own pots for a while, but may
need to transfer them as they get bigger, into the container or
something bigger again?

Trish

Sounds lovely . If it were me, I'd probably plant them straight into
the container (after drilling some drainage holes). They should be right
for a while and you'll be able to see if they are growing too big. You
could also follow Heather's suggestion of pruning the roots, and tops,
if you want to keep them in their pots. I'm not sure how often you'd
have to do this, though. 12 cm is not very big.

Jane