In Gardening, Pot Size Matters

Published on Tuesday, September 8, 2009, by CHOW Video Team / Edit Post

In Gardening, Pot Size Matters

Julie Chai, associate garden editor of Sunset magazine, suggests that you plant herbs, especially basil, in a pot that is at least 12 inches wide and 12 inches deep to avoid the horror of root-bound plants.

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  • They'll get root bound in that sized container too. Basil can actually get very big if it's happy, far larger than what that container can support.

    If you don't want your plants to get root bound, plant them in the ground.

  • MAKE SURE any pot you plant into has adequate drainage holes. Excess water must drain from the container or the roots will rot.

    Also, do not use a waterproof saucer that will make the pot stand in the runoff water, or the roots will rot.

    Water only after the top 1" of soil has begun to dry out, be especially careful of overwatering if you've transplanted into a pot more than twice the...+READ

    MAKE SURE any pot you plant into has adequate drainage holes. Excess water must drain from the container or the roots will rot.

    Also, do not use a waterproof saucer that will make the pot stand in the runoff water, or the roots will rot.

    Water only after the top 1" of soil has begun to dry out, be especially careful of overwatering if you've transplanted into a pot more than twice the volume of the original pot, as in the video above.-COLLAPSE