The Perfect Fit for Instant Potted Plants

Sometimes when potting or re-potting plants, you may feel as if you could use an extra hand or two. Here’s a neat trick that makes it easy and fast to create beautiful hanging baskets and containers or repot houseplants in minutes. Plus this method reduces the stress on the plant and any chance of damaging the tender leaves or breaking any new branches.

We recommend using a high quality soilless mix like Organic Mechanics Potting Soil and a controlled release fertilizer like the 9-month Dynamite All Purpose Plant Food. Water absorbent products like Zeba help cut down on maintenance throughout the summer.

Here are the steps I follow:
“Potting Up”
1. First, lightly moisten the potting mix and fill about one-third of the container. Use a little less of the mix if you are using water-absorbing crystals.

2. Gently remove the plants from their containers and set aside.

3. Potting up Simply Beautiful Allure™ ‘Strawberry Sizzle’ Zonal Geranium is easy when you make the right size hole.Now here’s the trick: For the “perfect fit” arrange the empty containers on top of the mix. If you are mixing plants in a large basket or container, place the largest one in the center and surround with several smaller ones, alternating every other variety. The number of plants depends on their size at maturity but always plant in odd numbers.

4. Then fill up to an inch from the rim with the remaining mix -- empty containers and all. (You are going to remove these so it doesn't matter.) Lightly water.

5. Now for the magic. Give the old containers a little twist to set the potting mix and then remove them and viola – you have the perfect size cavity for your new plants. Sprinkle a 9-month plant food into the perfect fit holes before popping in the plants.

6. Next, sprinkle some Dynamite into the empty container holes and just pop the plants in. Small plants that come in six-packs can be nestled in between the larger varieties without making a cavity. Water and add a little more mix and you have a beautiful flower basket! (Lucy approves!)