posted
I'm new here - I hope this is not a repeat of an old question....
The deck on the place is very bad and will be a big job this summer making it safe, redecking and so forth. I want to make the yard more beautiful with flowers , but they'll just get destroyed as the deck work is done. I therefore want to do tons of potted plants as a border that can be moved around the yard as work progresses - but potted plants are awfully heavy! And with them being in the yard I can't put castors or anything on them as I would for indoor plants.
Is there anything I can do to lighten them up? I heard somewhere of half filling a pot with styrofoam peanuts before putting in the earth. Can you really do that?
Thanks in advance for ANY help!
AT
* * * * Work like you don't need the money. Sing like nobody's listening. Dance like nobody's watching. Love like you've never been hurt. Plants: 70 | From: canada | Registered: Apr 2006
| Seeded: 206.116.74.110
posted
I have used styrofoam peanuts in the bottom of pots instead of rocks for drainage to make them lighter.
Uhhh...make sure you don't use the earth-friendly bio-degradable ones like I did awhile back! When I watered the plant after I had it potted all the peanuts dissolved!
Cindy
* * * * Buckle up! It makes it harder for the aliens to suck you out of your car! Plants: 43285 | Registered: Mar 2004
| Seeded: 70.35.241.223
posted
I have done the same and also make sure and use plastic pots. They look really nice these days and are much easier to move around not to mention they do not need as frequent watering as ceramic or clay.
* * * * We are all under the same stars... therefore we are never far apart. Plants: 30076 | From: Washington, the state that is... | Registered: Aug 2004
| Seeded: 66.235.45.83
quote:Originally posted by afgreyparrot: .......Uhhh...make sure you don't use the earth-friendly bio-degradable ones like I did awhile back! When I watered the plant after I had it potted all the peanuts dissolved!
ACK! Thanks for the heads up! I KNOW I'd do that!
quote:Originally posted by Triss: ........make sure and use plastic pots. They look really nice these days and are much easier to move around not to mention they do not need as frequent watering as ceramic or clay.
More frequent watering? Makes sense now that you say it, but I never would have taken that into consideration!
Gosh, I love this forum! I'm learning so much!
AT
* * * * Work like you don't need the money. Sing like nobody's listening. Dance like nobody's watching. Love like you've never been hurt. Plants: 70 | From: canada | Registered: Apr 2006
| Seeded: 206.116.74.110
posted
AT, Yep, to the packing peanuts.. (but I cut up half of a tray I bring home flowers on, and then put that on top of the packing peanuts, and put a piece of landscape fabric over then put in the dirt.. *I'm thrifty/poor, and like to reuse my dirt in pots and compost piles.. and by doing that, I keep it all seperate and doesn't get all mixed up if I don't want the packing peanuts into my compost later.. the roots will go down into the peanuts though*
But also, Vermiculite and Perlite...... adds a small amount of nutrition too... And it's a great filler into your potting soil and stretches it out....
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When I watered the plant after I had it potted all the peanuts dissolved! ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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