The Bonsai Tree
www.the-bonsai-tree.com
Bonsai trees for sale direct from the nursery

• Juniper bonsai trees
• Trees that flower
• Ficus Trees
• Outdoor bonsai tree
• Bonsai plants
Bonsai  trees for beginners
• Bonsai pruning tools
• Pots and containers
• Grow lamps

How to stop your container from dripping all over your floors

If you correctly water a house plant growing in a container that has proper drainage, you're going to have a drip problem. Any excess water that the potting mix can't retain during the normal watering will run out the drainage holes.

Wherever you display house plants, this runoff will probably be troublesome. The most efficient solution is to provide a saucer to catch the excess water.

Many containers are sold with matching saucers. Whenever possible, buy a drip saucer or tray at the same time you purchase a container. With other plant containers, it's up to the indoor gardener to find a suitable drip saucer. Look for unobtrusive saucers or trays.

• Return to bonsai pots or view all bonsai supplies

Though a mismatched saucer may protect furniture surfaces, it can ruin the visual effect of the house plant. Pads or mats may also be used to protect interior surfaces.

Part of the runoff problem can be solved at watering time. Take house plants to a sink for watering; then let them drain in the sink for a while (at least 10 minutes). The majority of excess water should drain into the sink, not into the drip saucer. This method of watering does not eliminate the need for a drip saucer, though.

If your saucer or tray is made of a porous material like clay it can absorb moisture. Water sitting in nonporous saucers, such as plastic or glazed ceramic, may cause condensation on the saucer's exterior. If the saucers with absorbed moisture or condensation remain in one spot long enough, the contact may eventually ruin furniture surfaces or rot carpets.

Many indoor gardeners protect surfaces by creating a "buffer zone" between drip saucers and furniture, floors, or carpets. This buffer zone forms an air space in which any absorbed moisture or moisture caused by condensation can be dissipated. Coasters, mats, blocks of wood, metal or wooden plant holders, or any other means of raising the plant container and saucer off furniture or carpet surfaces create a buffer zone.

Using decorative sleeves

A decorative sleeve is any container that an already-potted house plant is set into for display purposes.

The decorative sleeve has many advantages:

1. Valuable or easily damaged containers are protected from any damage that might be caused by direct planting.
2. A sick plant can be replaced quickly by a healthy plant, avoiding the need to transplant, which is time-consuming for you and hard on an ailing plant.
3. Many decorative sleeves are watertight, eliminating the need for a drip saucer or tray.
4. If you display plants in a poor growing location, such as a dark hall, you can rotate several plants between a good growing location and the location of a decorative sleeve placed in a spot with bad lighting. This keeps your plants in a healthy condition.

The sleeve should be at least an inch larger in diameter than the plant's container to allow for good air circulation. Put the potted house plant into the sleeve. If it sits too low in the sleeve, prop it up. Bricks, other clay pots turned upside down, layers of small rocks or pebbles, sphagnum moss, or any material that will raise the potted plant to the proper level can be used.

This also allows for drainage, keeping plants in decorative sleeves from sitting in water. Some examples of utilizing decorative sleeves are shown at left. If the runoff from normal watering could damage your decorative sleeve, line it with heavy plastic or provide a drip saucer inside the sleeve under the potted plant as a preventive measure.

Some indoor gardeners also line the space between the plant container and the sleeve to give the illusion of direct planting. Sphagnum moss or pebbles are commonly used; loosely packed, they still permit adequate air circulation around the container. A top mulch of pebbles or bark covering both the soil surface of the plant and liner helps add to this illusion.

 house plant care  -  supplies -  tree care -  Wire tree sculpture   Privacy / About / Contact /  blog

www.the-bonsai-tree.com © 2003/2007 all rights reserved