HousePlants

Here is some planting tips from Sorensen Greenhouses Inc. website. Check out their other “guides”. I could not get the “plant search” to work. maybe it will later (or another day).

Tips for planting your own Cactus and Succulent Garden:

Question: Can I buy plants in separate pots and plant them together to make a garden? Can I plant Cacti and Succulents together?

Answer: Yes to both questions, below are some tips to planting your home garden.

Pick out your planter or garden

* Look for a shallow pot, cacti and succulents are slow growers and too large or deep of a planter will promote over watering and rot.

Pick out your plants

* Look for different heights, it looks better if the plants have a mix and gradual height difference.
* A good rule to remember is an odd number looks better than even; it is more visually appealing.
* Look for different colors such as reds, yellows, blues, and even whites.
* If planting cactus and succulents together try picking out Sedum’s and other types of succulents that tend to grow in a hanging pattern. ~ Place these plants toward the front for a dramatic trailing effect.
* Plant larger and taller plants towards the back and add in shorter more compact plants to the front. Try to select plants that are all different heights for more visual appeal.
* If planting succulents and cactus together space succulents away from cactus to prevent damage.
* When planting your decorative garden for the best visual appearance make the garden look good from all sides.
* When using a larger garden you can buy larger potted plants, but when choosing a smaller garden choose smaller potted plants.
* Don’t over-crowd your planter with time it will fill in.

To Buy List

* A decorative shallow planter
* A nice selection of Cacti and Succulents
* Standard cacti and succulent soil mix
* Decorative stones or gravel if you want to add a special touch to your finished garden
* Gardening gloves if you don’t already have them (Cacti thorns like to bite)
* Fertilizer (20-20-20 is fine for this project)
* A small shovel (a spoon will also work great)

How to plant my Cacti and/or Succulent garden

* Select an area for this project that has enough room to lay everything out.
* If working in the house lay newspaper down on your work surface to prevent mess and easy clean up
* With your plants still in their pots place them down on your work surface in the order or arrangement to plant.
* Fill your planter with soil loosely up to ¾ to the top.
* Starting with the larger/taller plants remove them from their pots and loosen and break away some of the old soil being careful not to damage the roots.
* With your spoon or shovel dig a hole in the soil large enough to accommodate the plant and place in being careful not to plant too deeply. (Minimally above the old soil line.)
* Continue to do this with all of your plant selections until the planter is full.
* Leave a small amount of space between plants, they will fill in.
* Top up with soil if necessary.
* Decorate top with decorative stones or colored sand for a finished appearance.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS