Container gardening can be an appetizing hobby

Max Jacobson

Wednesday, May 30, 2001 | 8:27 a.m.

Container gardening is one of the more delightful ways to beautify a home or add to the bounty of your table. It's really easier than you might think, as a visit to a pair of leading local nurseries demonstrated.

Travis Owen, a salesperson at Star Nursery, and Joanne Hart of Plant World, are two local experts on the subject. Both outlined several steps for successful container gardening at home.

The first step is to pick your container, based on how much space you have and how much money you want to spend. At Star Nursery, for instance, pots vary from around 12 to 38 inches, and prices range from $10 for 12-inch plastic or terra cotta pots, to $30 for similar-size pots made from a new, lightweight material called faux stone. The most expensive pots are $70-$120.

Then you'll need to choose your potting soil, being sure to avoid bagged soils such as mulch, top dressing or desert soil, which have specific uses. Potting soil is labeled as such and comes in two basic types, regular and cactus mix.

What makes cactus mix different is it doesn't stay wet for too long. Ordinary potting soil would rot a succulent plant quickly.

Now you'll need to decide on your location, what type of sun exposure you will get, wind factors and ambient light.

Based on this, you can choose the best plant to cultivate under the circumstances. Owen says that you should plant at the location where the plant will be studied when using buy a large container, as they can be cumbersome to move. Smaller containers, however, can be planted at a bench or table, and then moved.

Most plants are seasonal, but Hart says there is such a large variety of plants that grow well in Southern Nevada, the season is year-round. Whenever you plant, the watering system is the a critical factor, especially during the intense heat of summer. Typically, except for cactuses, plants dry out quickly and need to be watered at least once, perhaps even twice daily.

Owen advises his customers to water until moisture dribbles out of the drainage hole at the bottom of the plant. Hart warns her customers not to put rocks in the bottom of a pot.

"Our rocks contain a lot of alkalis," she says, "which release salts into the soil, and burn the tips of leaves and shrubs.

"One excellent way to water container plants is to run drip lines directly into plants," she says. "If you have a house with a sprinkler system, it's comparatively easy to buy a drip line -- just a little quarter-inch tube -- and have it come on with your sprinkler system."

Remember, though, that window-sill plants dry out faster, and hanging plants even faster still, and therefore need more watering.

Hart recommends lining hanging plants with a new type of cocoa fiber because it holds in moisture. All nurseries sell it.

Owen points out that hanging plants are more vulnerable to wind and have more surface exposure to air, which also dries them out.

Both recommend fertilizing at least once or twice a month since constant watering during the summer leaches fertilizer. There are different types of fertilizers for different types of plants. For flowers, there is a popular product, Super-Bloom. For fruits and vegetables, there is a wide choice.

A few container plants grow especially well in this climate. Herbs do well areas that have morning sun, but get a break from the intense afternoon heat. Don't put them in west-facing windows. Most are perennials that harvest during the year. Oregano, thyme, mint, basil and chives are just a few good options.

Vegetables are annuals, and have to be replanted every spring. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplant do quite well in containers and in this climate. So do bush beans, cucumbers that don't climb (bush cucumbers) and onions.

You probably won't be able to grow corn, zucchini, or any vegetable that needs lots of root space.

Fruits grow well in this area, especially dwarf peaches, dwarf citrus and strawberries, in early winter, late fall or late spring, but not in the intensity of summer heat. All the nurseries sell specific strawberry pots with little pockets; a four-pocket pot is around $10 and will grow enough strawberries for your morning cereal. If you want to put up your own preserves, however, you'd better plan on buying a lot of pots.

As for flowers, they can be divided into two categories for container gardening: shade or sun. Flowers that can take the heat include verbena, vinca, zinnia and celosia. Those that need tender, loving care and shade are colius and impatiens, among many others. Patio roses need at least six hours of daily sun, and at least a 16-inch pot so they won't overheat. Tree flowers such as gardenias and azaleas also grow well in containers.

Cactuses are a thornier subject. Use a well-draining potting soil and don't over water. Many will live for years without becoming root bound (which means that nothing but roots remain in the pot.) Some cactuses will grow indoors, with bright, but indirect light. There are amazing numbers to choose from.

If you like hanging baskets, some good choices are supertunias (a petunia hybrid), geraniums and bougainvillea, but don't forget that exposed hanging root zone and how quickly it will dry out.

It should be mentioned that while seeds for many plants are widely available in our nurseries, it's much easier just to buy the plants and often not much more expensive. A 4-inch tomato plant, which will yield 5 to 20 tomatoes, is only $1.05 at Plant World.

But if you are really serious about this subject, there are two excellent books to consult. One, sold at Plant World, is "The Container Expert" by Dr. D.G. Hessayon, $12.95. The other, sold at Star Nursery, is "Container Gardening," part of Ortho's All About Series, a step-by-step instruction book for $12.95.

Happy gardening.