Container Gardening: Rejuvenating the Soil
It’s that time of year again: alllllmost time to plant spring containers! I seem to forget how much I adore violas until I see them once again, tucked into ceramic or iron containers greeting me at an entryway.
Good soil is certainly a primary component to successful containers, but there are ways to revive soil without needing to replace it all.
Emptying, disposing of, and replacing all the potting soil in containers can be a cumbersome and expensive process. Instead, I’ve found that adding a thoughtful combination of amendments can do the trick.
Here’s what I recommend:
Reduce the volume of soil in the container until approximately 1/3 of the vessel is empty. (Some containers might already be this low after removing spent plants and debris.)
Add compost to fill the container. You’ll need to mix as you go, ensuring that the compost is mixed well into the bottom-most portion of the container so that roots reach further to get the nutrients they need.
Add a granular OMRI approved all purpose soil amendment and mix thoroughly. This spreads nutrients throughout the soil and boosts what’s already available to plants.
I’ve been doing this with containers for more than a decade now, and have found that this restores container soil perfectly for the upcoming growing season. Of course, it doesn’t resolve any issues with soil-born pathogens or nasty infestations of critters like jumping worms. But if those issues don’t exist, then adding these amendments is the perfect way to prep containers for spring interest.
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