| hi i was planning on planting petunias this year in bags of pottion mix layed flat with the tops cut off, thinking this would be best for them because of the rich soil and also locking in moisture ....or are thay better planted in the ground ??? |
| In my experience using the planting bags is not too much different from using any other kind of container. (You do have to cut drainage holes in the bottom, and water as needed to keep the soil evenly moist but not sopping wet. You cut slits in the top to insert the plants and have a place to water through.) If you use a hanging bag, the water seems to drain too fast to the bottom so plants inserted near the top are dry while those at the bottom can sometimes be too wet. If you use the bag flat on the ground or on a paved surface or deck, it tends to overheat inside the plastic, just as it would in any noninsulating container but maybe more so since it is nearly fully closed. Since it is a limited amount of soil, you still have to water and fertilize regularly, too, maybe as often as daily by the end of the summer when the plants have grown pretty large. I prefer planting in the ground unless you have a special situation with your native soil that makes it unsuitable. And if I use containers, I like to have them raised up off the ground a little bit at least to cut down on the reflected heat. But it might be interesting to experiment a little and see which works best for you. |
