Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

I would like to ask the experts in the forum.
I live in Dallas, TX area where strong wind
and/or thunder storm is very common.
In order to keep my backyard tree pots
from being blown away by the strong wind,
I put rocks (draining type) to make the pots
heavier, that way they can withstand the
strong wind.
Is this OK? am I not going to cause any harm
to the trees (mainly Plumeria and some fruit trees)

Thanks in advance,


JIMMY

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

In article ,
"JS" wrote:

I would like to ask the experts in the forum.
I live in Dallas, TX area where strong wind
and/or thunder storm is very common.
In order to keep my backyard tree pots
from being blown away by the strong wind,
I put rocks (draining type) to make the pots
heavier, that way they can withstand the
strong wind.
Is this OK? am I not going to cause any harm
to the trees (mainly Plumeria and some fruit trees)

Thanks in advance,


JIMMY

No expert here, but ever consider of staking a pot.
Drive a stake and get heavy duty electrical ties and put one or two
about. I'd also look at micro climate possible fixes like a low wall.

Bill who brings his plants onto his porch when it really blows.

--

S Jersey USA Zone 5 Shade

This article is posted under fair use rules in accordance with
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and is strictly for the educational
and informative purposes. This material is distributed without profit.

http://www.ocutech.com/ High tech Vison aid

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

Most of my pots rest on concrete patio,
and therefore, staking is not practical.

Thanks,


JIMMY


"William Wagner" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"JS" wrote:

I would like to ask the experts in the forum.
I live in Dallas, TX area where strong wind
and/or thunder storm is very common.
In order to keep my backyard tree pots
from being blown away by the strong wind,
I put rocks (draining type) to make the pots
heavier, that way they can withstand the
strong wind.
Is this OK? am I not going to cause any harm
to the trees (mainly Plumeria and some fruit trees)

Thanks in advance,


JIMMY

No expert here, but ever consider of staking a pot.
Drive a stake and get heavy duty electrical ties and put one or two
about. I'd also look at micro climate possible fixes like a low wall.

Bill who brings his plants onto his porch when it really blows.

--

S Jersey USA Zone 5 Shade

This article is posted under fair use rules in accordance with
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and is strictly for the educational
and informative purposes. This material is distributed without profit.

http://www.ocutech.com/ High tech Vison aid

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

In article ,
"JS" wrote:

Most of my pots rest on concrete patio,
and therefore, staking is not practical.

Thanks,


JIMMY


"William Wagner" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"JS" wrote:

I would like to ask the experts in the forum.
I live in Dallas, TX area where strong wind
and/or thunder storm is very common.
In order to keep my backyard tree pots
from being blown away by the strong wind,
I put rocks (draining type) to make the pots
heavier, that way they can withstand the
strong wind.
Is this OK? am I not going to cause any harm
to the trees (mainly Plumeria and some fruit trees)

Thanks in advance,


JIMMY

No expert here, but ever consider of staking a pot.
Drive a stake and get heavy duty electrical ties and put one or two
about. I'd also look at micro climate possible fixes like a low wall.

Bill who brings his plants onto his porch when it really blows.

--

S Jersey USA Zone 5 Shade

This article is posted under fair use rules in accordance with
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and is strictly for the educational
and informative purposes. This material is distributed without profit.

http://www.ocutech.com/ High tech Vison aid


Ever hear of a star drill ?

Bill

--

S Jersey USA Zone 5 Shade

This article is posted under fair use rules in accordance with
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and is strictly for the educational
and informative purposes. This material is distributed without profit.

http://www.ocutech.com/ High tech Vison aid

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

Bill,

If you don't mind, can we stick with my original question,
whether it is OK or not to put some landscape rocks
on the surface of a pot to make it heavier? It is just a
simple YES or NO answer !!

JIMMY



"William Wagner" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"JS" wrote:

Most of my pots rest on concrete patio,
and therefore, staking is not practical.

Thanks,


JIMMY


"William Wagner" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"JS" wrote:

I would like to ask the experts in the forum.
I live in Dallas, TX area where strong wind
and/or thunder storm is very common.
In order to keep my backyard tree pots
from being blown away by the strong wind,
I put rocks (draining type) to make the pots
heavier, that way they can withstand the
strong wind.
Is this OK? am I not going to cause any harm
to the trees (mainly Plumeria and some fruit trees)

Thanks in advance,


JIMMY

No expert here, but ever consider of staking a pot.
Drive a stake and get heavy duty electrical ties and put one or two
about. I'd also look at micro climate possible fixes like a low wall.

Bill who brings his plants onto his porch when it really blows.

--

S Jersey USA Zone 5 Shade

This article is posted under fair use rules in accordance with
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and is strictly for the educational
and informative purposes. This material is distributed without profit.

http://www.ocutech.com/ High tech Vison aid


Ever hear of a star drill ?

Bill

--

S Jersey USA Zone 5 Shade

This article is posted under fair use rules in accordance with
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and is strictly for the educational
and informative purposes. This material is distributed without profit.

http://www.ocutech.com/ High tech Vison aid

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

In article ,
"JS" wrote:

Bill,

If you don't mind, can we stick with my original question,
whether it is OK or not to put some landscape rocks
on the surface of a pot to make it heavier? It is just a
simple YES or NO answer !!

JIMMY



"William Wagner" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"JS" wrote:

Most of my pots rest on concrete patio,
and therefore, staking is not practical.

Thanks,


JIMMY


"William Wagner" wrote in message
..
.
In article ,
"JS" wrote:

I would like to ask the experts in the forum.
I live in Dallas, TX area where strong wind
and/or thunder storm is very common.
In order to keep my backyard tree pots
from being blown away by the strong wind,
I put rocks (draining type) to make the pots
heavier, that way they can withstand the
strong wind.
Is this OK? am I not going to cause any harm
to the trees (mainly Plumeria and some fruit trees)

Thanks in advance,


JIMMY

No expert here, but ever consider of staking a pot.
Drive a stake and get heavy duty electrical ties and put one or two
about. I'd also look at micro climate possible fixes like a low wall.

Bill who brings his plants onto his porch when it really blows.

--

S Jersey USA Zone 5 Shade

This article is posted under fair use rules in accordance with
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and is strictly for the educational
and informative purposes. This material is distributed without profit.

http://www.ocutech.com/ High tech Vison aid


Ever hear of a star drill ?

Bill

--

S Jersey USA Zone 5 Shade

This article is posted under fair use rules in accordance with
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and is strictly for the educational
and informative purposes. This material is distributed without profit.

http://www.ocutech.com/ High tech Vison aid


It would lower your center of gravity, and, depending on whether the
rocks were resting on the soil, compact and displace the soil (not a
good thing). If you patio isn't tiled, you may want to reconsider Bill
Wagner's idea.
--
FB - FFF

Billy
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

If you don't mind, can we stick with my original question, whether it
is OK or not to put some landscape rocks on the surface of a pot to
make it heavier?

An inch or two wouldn't be a problem, I don't think. That's the kind
of depth (roughly) that you might put in for mulching purposes.

A really thick layer of rocks might tend to compact the soil, though.

What we do here is to put bricks on the pots (well, or on the trays,
I'd have to go out and look exactly where the bricks are and whether
they are supporting the side of the pots or on top of the pots). That
way they don't affect the soil.

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

In article ,
"JS" wrote:

Bill,

If you don't mind, can we stick with my original question,
whether it is OK or not to put some landscape rocks
on the surface of a pot to make it heavier? It is just a
simple YES or NO answer !!

JIMMY



I've used rocks as a mulch more than once. I've never killed anything
doing that. I mostly do that for succulents tho'.

I doubt that it'd hurt anything. Just watch for excess soil compaction.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

I have the same problem with my Ficus tree and based on my experience
I don't think adding a few rocks will help during a thunderstorm. I
actually had the Ficus staked and last week a storm blew through and
pulled the stakes out of the ground.

What I wish someone would sale is a pot support that I could put the
pot in. I can picture it in my mind but I am having a hard time
describing it. What I envision is 2 rods bent into a circle, the top
being smaller than the bottom. The 2 would be connected together with
identical length rods. The pot would go into the top circle and would
fit snug just under the top lip.

If you are having trouble visualizing what I have in mind just think
of a regular flowerpot with the bottom cut off and then turned over.
The pot with the tree would then fit into the other pot.

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

"JS" wrote in message
. ..
I would like to ask the experts in the forum.
I live in Dallas, TX area where strong wind
and/or thunder storm is very common.
In order to keep my backyard tree pots
from being blown away by the strong wind,
I put rocks (draining type) to make the pots
heavier, that way they can withstand the
strong wind.
Is this OK? am I not going to cause any harm
to the trees (mainly Plumeria and some fruit trees)

Thanks in advance,


JIMMY

Pots/planters for trees in general are either straight up or of a generally
inverted triangular shape with point cut off. Allowing some distance to
top, putting rocks near the top make them top heavy. This prevents some
lateral movement, does nothing for toppling over. Gravel or similar rocks
are better off on the bottom to help prevent toppling over.

There is a simple solution, but, seeing your response on someone that
dallied from your venue, I won't discuss it.
Dave

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

"JS" wrote:

If you don't mind, can we stick with my original question,
whether it is OK or not to put some landscape rocks
on the surface of a pot to make it heavier? It is just a
simple YES or NO answer !!

I'd say it's fine for the plant to place whatever you like on the
surface of the *pot*, but not necessarily directly on the potting
soil.

Didja ever consider heavier pots...

Search: concrete planters

http://www.wausautile.com/index.cfm/...roduct/y/id/22

Also, perhaps you can coat your pots with something heavy... I hear
tell these days you can buy Chinese Pb paint real cheap.

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

In article ,
"Dave" wrote:

Gravel or similar rocks
are better off on the bottom to help prevent toppling over.

Or some lead bars. (A really good idea actually if it's not an edible).

If you want to try THAT solution, e-mail me.
I might be able to help you get free lead if you want to work for it.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

In article m,
Sheldon wrote:

"JS" wrote:

If you don't mind, can we stick with my original question,
whether it is OK or not to put some landscape rocks
on the surface of a pot to make it heavier? It is just a
simple YES or NO answer !!

I'd say it's fine for the plant to place whatever you like on the
surface of the *pot*, but not necessarily directly on the potting
soil.


Actually, the person that suggested putting the weight in the BOTTOM of
the pot had a rather good idea.

I don't have a wind problem here most of the time, but it gave me food
for thought...

I can get all the free lead I want, at least for now.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

Omelet wrote:
In article m,
Sheldon wrote:

"JS" wrote:
If you don't mind, can we stick with my original question,
whether it is OK or not to put some landscape rocks
on the surface of a pot to make it heavier? It is just a
simple YES or NO answer !!

NO!! !!


Actually, the person that suggested putting the weight in the BOTTOM of
the pot had a rather good idea.


YES!


--
john mcwilliams

Coach: "Are you just ignorant, or merely apathetic?"
Player: "Coach, I don't know, and I don't care."

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

In article ,
Omelet wrote:

In article ,
"Dave" wrote:

Gravel or similar rocks
are better off on the bottom to help prevent toppling over.

Or some lead bars. (A really good idea actually if it's not an edible).

If you want to try THAT solution, e-mail me.
I might be able to help you get free lead if you want to work for it.

Is dispersing lead into the environment a good idea?
--
FB - FFF

Billy
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

In article
,
Billy Rose wrote:

In article ,
Omelet wrote:

In article ,
"Dave" wrote:

Gravel or similar rocks
are better off on the bottom to help prevent toppling over.

Or some lead bars. (A really good idea actually if it's not an edible).

If you want to try THAT solution, e-mail me.
I might be able to help you get free lead if you want to work for it.

Is dispersing lead into the environment a good idea?

Solidified bar lead is not much of a hazard, especially if you bother to
seal it.

Which I would.

I can collect literally tons of it from my local range hint
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

In article ,
Omelet wrote:

In article
,
Billy Rose wrote:

In article ,
Omelet wrote:

In article ,
"Dave" wrote:

Gravel or similar rocks
are better off on the bottom to help prevent toppling over.

Or some lead bars. (A really good idea actually if it's not an edible).

If you want to try THAT solution, e-mail me.
I might be able to help you get free lead if you want to work for it.

Is dispersing lead into the environment a good idea?

Solidified bar lead is not much of a hazard, especially if you bother to
seal it.

Which I would.

I can collect literally tons of it from my local range hint

Unfortunately, it's not magnetic. How do you collect it? Sieve? Back in
the day, there was just an earthen berm behind the targets. Lost my
taste for blood. Now, I just trust to my varmint gun, 12 gauge.
--
FB - FFF

Billy
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

In article
,
Billy Rose wrote:

Is dispersing lead into the environment a good idea?

Solidified bar lead is not much of a hazard, especially if you bother to
seal it.

Which I would.

I can collect literally tons of it from my local range hint

Unfortunately, it's not magnetic. How do you collect it? Sieve?

By hand. It's good exercise and I can collect about 100 lbs. with
roughly 8 hours work and that was not steady picking. (The hill country
is pretty at sunrise). Never underestimate the poundage of lead in a
very old pistol berm. And a LOT of it is exposed.

I've not check out the rifle berms yet. I'm waiting for cooler weather.
And I have to get there before the bench shooters check in. g

I actually have considered a shovel and re-sieving it at home with the
hose but then I'd want to pick a LOT of the rocks out before doing the
melting. I'm well aware rocks will float to the top of liquid lead, but
still...

Back in
the day, there was just an earthen berm behind the targets. Lost my
taste for blood. Now, I just trust to my varmint gun, 12 gauge.
--
FB - FFF

Billy

There is no blood in paper targets using a 9mm or a .40. ;-)
Or a .22 if you want to conserve $$$.

Never underestimate the lead harvestability in that berm.
And you are doing momma Earth a favor.

I use an outdoor range too.

And they don't give a rats ass if I pick up lead as long as I'm not
interfering with shooters.

Get there early. ;-)

I have an annual membership.

Sunrise, breakfast taco, early morning songbirds, talk radio...

sigh I'll be glad when summer is over.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

Omelet expounded:

By hand. It's good exercise and I can collect about 100 lbs. with
roughly 8 hours work and that was not steady picking. (The hill country
is pretty at sunrise). Never underestimate the poundage of lead in a
very old pistol berm. And a LOT of it is exposed.

You collecting lead to cast your own bullets? Or just because it's a
good thing to do?
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

In article ,
Ann wrote:

Omelet expounded:

By hand. It's good exercise and I can collect about 100 lbs. with
roughly 8 hours work and that was not steady picking. (The hill country
is pretty at sunrise). Never underestimate the poundage of lead in a
very old pistol berm. And a LOT of it is exposed.

You collecting lead to cast your own bullets? Or just because it's a
good thing to do?

3 reasons (4 actually):

Casting my own bullets to save money

Current money value of the lead alloy for resale if I cast it into bars
for resale (which I have not done yet)

Removing it from the berms as a benefit to our universal mom

Oh, and it's good exercise and works up a sweat.

It's a win-win activity. :-)
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

In article ,
Omelet wrote:

Sunrise, breakfast taco, early morning songbirds, talk radio...

sigh I'll be glad when summer is over.

Sunrise, breakfast taco and beer, early morning songbirds, sounds good
to me but, talk radio? I think I'd even pass up Amy Goodman for song
birds, real song birds and breakfast beer. Some birding site I went to
had (what appear to be very blue) jays described as song birds!!?
Uh-huh, yeah, sure, right. Ours squawk. I trust yours are more melodic.

It seems strange to me that I was wandering around in the alfalfa fields
and drainage ditches of southern California with a .22 at the age of
five. My killin' fields are wall to wall housing tracts now. Once there
were rabbits, pheasants, and lots of other unlucky critters that
happened upon a boy with a gun.

I'm content now with just the smell of gun oil, when I do periodic
maintenance. The only thing I shoot off now is my mouth.

Glad when summer is over? You lost your mind girl? Get in out'en the
Sun. My understanding of Texas is when it stops being boiling hot, it
commences to freeze over or it is duck and cover season for hurricanes.
Why would anyone want summer to be over? That's just plain crazy.

Well, time to go plant some more salad. We got company and we're rippin'
through it pretty darned fast. Think I'll look in and see how my
breakfast beer provisions are holding up.

Ciao
--
FB - FFF

Billy
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

Omelet wrote:
Sheldon wrote:
"JS" wrote:

If you don't mind, can we stick with my original question,
whether it is OK or not to put some landscape rocks
on the surface of a pot to make it heavier? It is just a
simple YES or NO answer !!

I'd say it's fine for the plant to place whatever you like on the
surface of the *pot*, but not necessarily directly on the potting
soil.

Actually, the person that suggested putting the weight in the BOTTOM of
the pot had a rather good idea.

Actually had you not taken my one statement out of context and read
and comprehended my *entire* post then you might realize that placing
rocks into the bottom of the pot is not such a good idea... it robs
space from the plant roots (the more rocks the more space they rob)
and really doesn't add a lot of weight as it displaces soil that when
moist weighs almost as much as the rocks. And rocks don't hold
moisture or help with aeration, better to use some broken clay pots -
which of course don't weigh very much. A larger and/or heavier pot is
the better solution. Staking the pot down is not such a great
solution either... any wind strong enough to blow an unsecured pot
about is likely strong enough to rip the plant out of the pot,
especially if it's some sort of tall plant, and most especially if
there are root space stealing rocks. In heavy wind storms potted
plants (and all other items that could become missles) should be
secured indoors.

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

On Aug 15, 1:29 pm, Omelet wrote:

I actually have considered a shovel and re-sieving it at home with the
hose but then I'd want to pick a LOT of the rocks out before doing the
melting. I'm well aware rocks will float to the top of liquid lead, but
still...

I really hope that was humor ( the printed word lacks tone).
Depending on their composition, rocks in molten lead can become small
grenades, with nasty effects.
We need all the gardeners we can get.

cheers

oz, exhausted from the heat: 104 on the deck today.

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

In article
,
Billy wrote:

In article ,
Omelet wrote:

Sunrise, breakfast taco, early morning songbirds, talk radio...

sigh I'll be glad when summer is over.

Sunrise, breakfast taco and beer, early morning songbirds, sounds good
to me but, talk radio? I think I'd even pass up Amy Goodman for song
birds, real song birds and breakfast beer. Some birding site I went to
had (what appear to be very blue) jays described as song birds!!?
Uh-huh, yeah, sure, right. Ours squawk. I trust yours are more melodic.

Mostly Mockingbirds actually. :-)
WOAI is usually pretty entertaining.

I just keep it low so I can hear the birds. Once I'm done eating and get
out of the truck, the radio goes OFF.


It seems strange to me that I was wandering around in the alfalfa fields
and drainage ditches of southern California with a .22 at the age of
five. My killin' fields are wall to wall housing tracts now. Once there
were rabbits, pheasants, and lots of other unlucky critters that
happened upon a boy with a gun.

Bummer. :-( I can still nail squirrels around here and Deer graze across
the street, but those are safe as I AM within city limits. A BB gun is
all I can get away with and after looking it up, the city has an
ordinance against those too, AND SLING SHOTS!!! :-P

I don't see many rabbits tho'.
Fire Ants have done hit point damage to the Bobwhite quail population
too.


I'm content now with just the smell of gun oil, when I do periodic
maintenance. The only thing I shoot off now is my mouth.

Mmm... Gun oil... Makes a good perfume. G (just kidding, but I have no
objections to that smell).

Why don't you shoot any more? Target Practice is a good personal
challenge.


Glad when summer is over? You lost your mind girl? Get in out'en the
Sun. My understanding of Texas is when it stops being boiling hot, it
commences to freeze over or it is duck and cover season for hurricanes.
Why would anyone want summer to be over? That's just plain crazy.

Not true! This past, cool spring was wonderful and Fall is fantastic.
You are seriously mistaken about South/Central Hill Country weather.
Winters are fairly short and only intense a month or two out of the year.


Well, time to go plant some more salad. We got company and we're rippin'
through it pretty darned fast. Think I'll look in and see how my
breakfast beer provisions are holding up.

Ciao

Broccoli and Chard do well here in the Winter. I might try Cauliflower
this year too.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

In article .com,
Sheldon wrote:

Actually, the person that suggested putting the weight in the BOTTOM of
the pot had a rather good idea.

Actually had you not taken my one statement out of context and read
and comprehended my *entire* post then you might realize that placing
rocks into the bottom of the pot is not such a good idea... it robs
space from the plant roots (the more rocks the more space they rob)
and really doesn't add a lot of weight as it displaces soil that when
moist weighs almost as much as the rocks. And rocks don't hold
moisture or help with aeration, better to use some broken clay pots -
which of course don't weigh very much. A larger and/or heavier pot is
the better solution. Staking the pot down is not such a great
solution either... any wind strong enough to blow an unsecured pot
about is likely strong enough to rip the plant out of the pot,
especially if it's some sort of tall plant, and most especially if
there are root space stealing rocks. In heavy wind storms potted
plants (and all other items that could become missles) should be
secured indoors.

Shel' dear. I always have put gravel in the bottom of pots to facilitate
good pot drainage. I was taught to do that by my Botany professor when I
used to work for him and take care of the class greenhouse. He also
always put a pot sherd over the hole or holes.

But, I use really big pots when I do that. 1 gallon on up to 25 gallon
depending on what I am planting. ;-)
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

In article .com,
MajorOz wrote:

On Aug 15, 1:29 pm, Omelet wrote:

I actually have considered a shovel and re-sieving it at home with the
hose but then I'd want to pick a LOT of the rocks out before doing the
melting. I'm well aware rocks will float to the top of liquid lead, but
still...

I really hope that was humor ( the printed word lacks tone).
Depending on their composition, rocks in molten lead can become small
grenades, with nasty effects.
We need all the gardeners we can get.

cheers

oz, exhausted from the heat: 104 on the deck today.

lol It's why I prefer to remove them! They will only do that if they
have some water content.

Sand and dirt tho' do float to the top.

And yes, it was humor which is why it was worded the way it was.
I hope to gods anyone that is planning on doing led casting jolly well
reads up on it first!
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

In article ,
Omelet wrote:

In article ,
"JS" wrote:

Bill,

If you don't mind, can we stick with my original question,
whether it is OK or not to put some landscape rocks
on the surface of a pot to make it heavier? It is just a
simple YES or NO answer !!

JIMMY



I've used rocks as a mulch more than once. I've never killed anything
doing that. I mostly do that for succulents tho'.

I doubt that it'd hurt anything. Just watch for excess soil compaction.

I've got pebbles on top of the soil in my herb pots here outside the
door, to keep my hens from eating the potting soil. I don't know why the
biddies like the soil, but they do.

The plants are doing a lot better with the pebbles than they did with
the potting soil being disturbed and removed all the time.

Jan

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

Omelet wrote:
Shel' dear. I always have put gravel in the bottom of pots to facilitate
good pot drainage. I was taught to do that by my Botany professor when I
used to work for him and take care of the class greenhouse. He also
always put a pot sherd over the hole or holes.

But, I use really big pots when I do that. 1 gallon on up to 25 gallon
depending on what I am planting. ;-)

But did you put in enough gravel or pot shards to hold the containers
down in a high wind? That is the OPs problem.

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

In article ,
Pennyaline wrote:

Omelet wrote:
Shel' dear. I always have put gravel in the bottom of pots to facilitate
good pot drainage. I was taught to do that by my Botany professor when I
used to work for him and take care of the class greenhouse. He also
always put a pot sherd over the hole or holes.

But, I use really big pots when I do that. 1 gallon on up to 25 gallon
depending on what I am planting. ;-)

But did you put in enough gravel or pot shards to hold the containers
down in a high wind? That is the OPs problem.

Actually, Omlet was responding to another of Shelly's ill conceived
constructions of reality, which by the way didn't address OP's problem
either.

To answer OP's question, you would need to know the size of the pot, and
its weight with soil and plant, and the height of the plant and how much
surface area opposed the wind, and most importantly an upper limit to
wind gusts. Obviously, Hurricane Dean would have blown the plant over,
if not away. Relatively speaking, lowering the center of gravity is
advantageous to the verticality of the pot.

Why don't you ask Shelly? He is full of . . . answers, of varying
quality. Maybe you'll get lucky.
--
FB - FFF

Billy
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

Billy Six Toes mumbles:
Pennyaline wrote:
Omelet wrote:
Shel' dear. I always have put gravel in the bottom of pots to facilitate
good pot drainage. I was taught to do that by my Botany professor when I
used to work for him and take care of the class greenhouse. He also
always put a pot sherd over the hole or holes.

But, I use really big pots when I do that. 1 gallon on up to 25 gallon
depending on what I am planting. ;-)

But did you put in enough gravel or pot shards to hold the containers
down in a high wind? That is the OPs problem.

Actually, Omlet was responding to another of Shelly's ill conceived
constructions of reality, which by the way didn't address OP's problem
either.

To answer OP's question, you would need to know the size of the pot, and
its weight with soil and plant, and the height of the plant and how much
surface area opposed the wind, and most importantly an upper limit to
wind gusts. Obviously, Hurricane Dean would have blown the plant over,
if not away. Relatively speaking, lowering the center of gravity is
advantageous to the verticality of the pot.

Why don't you ask Shelly? He is full of . . . answers, of varying
quality. Maybe you'll get lucky.

The more you attempt to sound intelligent the more apparent how dumb
you are.

Placing pot shards and/or stones in a pot will add no more weight
than the soil it displaces, and will in time create air pockets as
the plant roots develop.

And if you weren't functionally illiterate you'd have comprehended the
concept of obtaining heavier/larger pots... and the warning to bring
all potential missles indoors during periods of high wind. Seems most
everyone else can comprehend the written word, but not the inbred
Hilly Billy

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

In article om,
Sheldon wrote:

Billy Six Toes mumbles:
Pennyaline wrote:
Omelet wrote:
Shel' dear. I always have put gravel in the bottom of pots to facilitate
good pot drainage. I was taught to do that by my Botany professor when I
used to work for him and take care of the class greenhouse. He also
always put a pot sherd over the hole or holes.

But, I use really big pots when I do that. 1 gallon on up to 25 gallon
depending on what I am planting. ;-)

But did you put in enough gravel or pot shards to hold the containers
down in a high wind? That is the OPs problem.

Actually, Omlet was responding to another of Shelly's ill conceived
constructions of reality, which by the way didn't address OP's problem
either.

To answer OP's question, you would need to know the size of the pot, and
its weight with soil and plant, and the height of the plant and how much
surface area opposed the wind, and most importantly an upper limit to
wind gusts. Obviously, Hurricane Dean would have blown the plant over,
if not away. Relatively speaking, lowering the center of gravity is
advantageous to the verticality of the pot.

Why don't you ask Shelly? He is full of . . . answers, of varying
quality. Maybe you'll get lucky.

The more you attempt to sound intelligent the more apparent how dumb
you are.

Placing pot shards and/or stones in a pot will add no more weight
than the soil it displaces, and will in time create air pockets as
the plant roots develop.

And if you weren't functionally illiterate you'd have comprehended the
concept of obtaining heavier/larger pots... and the warning to bring
all potential missles indoors during periods of high wind. Seems most
everyone else can comprehend the written word, but not the inbred
Hilly Billy

Will lowering the center of gravity make the pot more stable? Yes. Is
rock or sand, heavier than potting soil? Yes. Will rock or sand in the
bottom of a pot make the pot more stable? Yes. Did Shelly's response
address any of these points? No.

Additionally, Shelly is abusive and mean spirited. He must be having
trouble with his forest pansy again.
--
FB - FFF

Billy
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

In article om,
Sheldon wrote:

Billy Six Toes mumbles:
Pennyaline wrote:
Omelet wrote:
Shel' dear. I always have put gravel in the bottom of pots to facilitate
good pot drainage. I was taught to do that by my Botany professor when I
used to work for him and take care of the class greenhouse. He also
always put a pot sherd over the hole or holes.

But, I use really big pots when I do that. 1 gallon on up to 25 gallon
depending on what I am planting. ;-)

But did you put in enough gravel or pot shards to hold the containers
down in a high wind? That is the OPs problem.

Actually, Omlet was responding to another of Shelly's ill conceived
constructions of reality, which by the way didn't address OP's problem
either.

To answer OP's question, you would need to know the size of the pot, and
its weight with soil and plant, and the height of the plant and how much
surface area opposed the wind, and most importantly an upper limit to
wind gusts. Obviously, Hurricane Dean would have blown the plant over,
if not away. Relatively speaking, lowering the center of gravity is
advantageous to the verticality of the pot.

Why don't you ask Shelly? He is full of . . . answers, of varying
quality. Maybe you'll get lucky.

The more you attempt to sound intelligent the more apparent how dumb
you are.

Placing pot shards and/or stones in a pot will add no more weight
than the soil it displaces, and will in time create air pockets as
the plant roots develop.

And if you weren't functionally illiterate you'd have comprehended the
concept of obtaining heavier/larger pots... and the warning to bring
all potential missles indoors during periods of high wind. Seems most
everyone else can comprehend the written word, but not the inbred
Hilly Billy

Larger heavier pots certainly would help but since JS is growing "trees"
in the pots, I'll take a wild guess that they are larger than a gallon
in size. So, I presume, we already have large heavy pots. A larger
heavier pot with a higher center of gravity would worsen the situation.
Another approach would be to widen the base but that may depend on the
material that the pot is made of but a drain hole at the bottom "might"
be a place where a nut and bolt and a couple of washers, could be used
to attach to a horizontal frame under the plant, thereby spreading it's
base. It would also be helpful to reduce the height of the trees to
reduce the leverage the wind can generate on your trees. Pruning the
leaves would reduce the pressure the wind can apply to your trees. It is
up to you to decide the esthetic - stability balance that works for you.

--
Billy
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

In article ,
Billy wrote:

Larger heavier pots certainly would help but since JS is growing "trees"
in the pots, I'll take a wild guess that they are larger than a gallon
in size. So, I presume, we already have large heavy pots. A larger
heavier pot with a higher center of gravity would worsen the situation.
Another approach would be to widen the base but that may depend on the
material that the pot is made of but a drain hole at the bottom "might"
be a place where a nut and bolt and a couple of washers, could be used
to attach to a horizontal frame under the plant, thereby spreading it's
base. It would also be helpful to reduce the height of the trees to
reduce the leverage the wind can generate on your trees. Pruning the
leaves would reduce the pressure the wind can apply to your trees. It is
up to you to decide the esthetic - stability balance that works for you.

--
Bil

Y'know, bolting the pot to some boards to widen the base is something
I'd not thought of.

Excellent idea!

If you put wheels on those boards, it would make them easier to move too.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

In article ,
"JS" wrote:

Bill,

If you don't mind, can we stick with my original question,
whether it is OK or not to put some landscape rocks
on the surface of a pot to make it heavier? It is just a
simple YES or NO answer !!

JIMMY
Well, actually, the original question that you wanted answered was would
the rocks hurt your trees. If used as Omlet suggested, the answer is no.

"I always have put gravel in the bottom of pots to facilitate
good pot drainage. I was taught to do that by my Botany professor when I
used to work for him and take care of the class greenhouse. He also
always put a pot shard over the hole or holes." - Omlet

Sometimes these post take on the aspect of the whispering game where a
sentence is whispered around a circle and by the time it returns to the
original whisperer, it has changed significantly. Something happens with
news browsers. The old are deleted to avoid clutter, and sometimes the
original question gets swept-out as well. Sorry it took so much time to
give a clear response but at least it is thoroughly vetted.

Good luck with the tress.

"JS" wrote:

I would like to ask the experts in the forum.
I live in Dallas, TX area where strong wind
and/or thunder storm is very common.
In order to keep my backyard tree pots
from being blown away by the strong wind,
I put rocks (draining type) to make the pots
heavier, that way they can withstand the
strong wind.
Is this OK? am I not going to cause any harm
to the trees (mainly Plumeria and some fruit trees)

Thanks in advance,


JIMMY

No expert here, but ever consider of staking a pot.
Drive a stake and get heavy duty electrical ties and put one or two
about. I'd also look at micro climate possible fixes like a low wall.

Bill who brings his plants onto his porch when it really blows.

--

S Jersey USA Zone 5 Shade

This article is posted under fair use rules in accordance with
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and is strictly for the educational
and informative purposes. This material is distributed without profit.

http://www.ocutech.com/ High tech Vison aid


Ever hear of a star drill ?

Bill

--

S Jersey USA Zone 5 Shade

This article is posted under fair use rules in accordance with
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and is strictly for the educational
and informative purposes. This material is distributed without profit.

http://www.ocutech.com/ High tech Vison aid


--
Billy
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

On Aug 15, 10:04 pm, Omelet wrote:

Shel' dear. I always have put gravel in the bottom of pots to facilitate
goodpotdrainage. I was taught to do that by my Botany professor when I
used to work for him and take care of the class greenhouse. He also
always put apotsherd over the hole or holes.

Gravel doesn't improve drainage. Drilling holes in the
pot does that. Gravel does help aerate the soil, getting
more oxygen to roots and beneficial bugs.

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

In article . com,
Father Haskell wrote:

On Aug 15, 10:04 pm, Omelet wrote:

Shel' dear. I always have put gravel in the bottom of pots to facilitate
goodpotdrainage. I was taught to do that by my Botany professor when I
used to work for him and take care of the class greenhouse. He also
always put apotsherd over the hole or holes.

Gravel doesn't improve drainage.

I respectfully disagree.
Did some googling and found LOTS of references.
Here is just one:

http://garden.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Bulbs_in_Containers

"Drainage

Good drainage is essential! Make sure the pot has plenty of drainage
holes in its bottom. Enlarge the holes or drill more if necessary.

Place a layer of drainage material at the bottom of the container.
Old-fashioned gardeners called this "crocking" because they used pieces
of broken pots or crocks for this layer. If you'll be moving the
container, you may choose to use packaging peanuts, which do not
disintegrate but are much lighter in weight. "

I have also used packing peanuts to cut weight in really large pots.
Just don't use the biodegradable ones. G


Drilling holes in the
pot does that.

It helps, but graveling the bottom of a large pot also is beneficial.

Gravel does help aerate the soil, getting
more oxygen to roots and beneficial bugs.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

Billy wrote:
In article ,
Pennyaline wrote:

Omelet wrote:
Shel' dear. I always have put gravel in the bottom of pots to facilitate
good pot drainage. I was taught to do that by my Botany professor when I
used to work for him and take care of the class greenhouse. He also
always put a pot sherd over the hole or holes.

But, I use really big pots when I do that. 1 gallon on up to 25 gallon
depending on what I am planting. ;-)
But did you put in enough gravel or pot shards to hold the containers
down in a high wind? That is the OPs problem.

Actually, Omlet was responding to another of Shelly's ill conceived
constructions of reality, which by the way didn't address OP's problem
either.

I stated that keeping the containers in place during high winds is the
OP's problem. Neither Omelet nor I was trying to solve the OP's problem
through Omelet's response. She was responding to Sheldon, and I was
responding to her. No more, no less.

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

Billy wrote:
In article ,
"JS" wrote:

Bill,

If you don't mind, can we stick with my original question,
whether it is OK or not to put some landscape rocks
on the surface of a pot to make it heavier? It is just a
simple YES or NO answer !!

JIMMY
Well, actually, the original question that you wanted answered was would
the rocks hurt your trees. If used as Omlet suggested, the answer is no.

It is a crying shame that the OP became so incensed, as each response
was in one way or another made in an attempt to solve his problem albeit
not with pat Yes or No answers. I have actually tied large container
plants to fixed trellises or posts and kept them upright in high winds.
I haven't had the opportunity to stake down patio containers as I'm able
to move mine behind windward walls, but it's a damn good idea! Too bad
he didn't want to hear about things like that.

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

In article ,
Pennyaline wrote:

Billy wrote:
In article ,
Pennyaline wrote:

Omelet wrote:
Shel' dear. I always have put gravel in the bottom of pots to facilitate
good pot drainage. I was taught to do that by my Botany professor when I
used to work for him and take care of the class greenhouse. He also
always put a pot sherd over the hole or holes.

But, I use really big pots when I do that. 1 gallon on up to 25 gallon
depending on what I am planting. ;-)
But did you put in enough gravel or pot shards to hold the containers
down in a high wind? That is the OPs problem.

Actually, Omlet was responding to another of Shelly's ill conceived
constructions of reality, which by the way didn't address OP's problem
either.

I stated that keeping the containers in place during high winds is the
OP's problem. Neither Omelet nor I was trying to solve the OP's problem
through Omelet's response. She was responding to Sheldon, and I was
responding to her. No more, no less.

Well, I've not routinely had pots blow over in a high wind, but I put
them in a protected spot. Close to a building on the lee side of where
the wind is coming from.

Or I tie them to something if it becomes a regular problem.

The larger pots (5 gallon or larger) with a gravel lining never do blow
over, but that was not why I put the gravel in there. It's just a side
benefit. ;-)

I think my original point was that if they want to try weighting the
pots with gravel to prevent blow-overs, put the gravel in the _bottom_
of the pot instead of on top of the soil.

That way you avoid soil compaction, make the center of gravity lower in
the pot which should work better, and benefit pot drainage.

A win-win situation.

But if you are dealing with really high winds, say, 30 mph on up,
setting up some sort of tie ups for top heavy or top bushed plant pots
might be your only hope.

Or, as someone else suggested, bolting them to boards to widen the base.
I thought that was a very cool idea.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

Rocks on top of a plant pot
 

In article ,
Pennyaline wrote:

Billy wrote:
In article ,
"JS" wrote:

Bill,

If you don't mind, can we stick with my original question,
whether it is OK or not to put some landscape rocks
on the surface of a pot to make it heavier? It is just a
simple YES or NO answer !!

JIMMY
Well, actually, the original question that you wanted answered was would
the rocks hurt your trees. If used as Omlet suggested, the answer is no.

It is a crying shame that the OP became so incensed, as each response
was in one way or another made in an attempt to solve his problem albeit
not with pat Yes or No answers. I have actually tied large container
plants to fixed trellises or posts and kept them upright in high winds.
I haven't had the opportunity to stake down patio containers as I'm able
to move mine behind windward walls, but it's a damn good idea! Too bad
he didn't want to hear about things like that.

In that case, can putting rocks on top of the soil hurt his trees, the
answer is YES.

It can cause soil compaction which causes a host of problems.

Consider other suggested alternatives.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson