Biggest Reason Why Your Container Plants Never Bloom
02.09.2024 - 09:21
/ balconygardenweb.com
/ Editorial Team
Why do some potted plants never bloom enough and eventually wither and die? There are many factors involved, which can lead to little or no blossoms in container plants but there is one small miscalculation that you do is the ultimate reason behind their failure.
What seems inconsequential is a crucial mistake costing you your precious flowers, fruits, and, ultimately, the plant. Here’s a hint—less is more, and more is less. Read on to find out!
Oversized pots! That’s the answer you’ve been waiting for. If your pot is much bigger than what your plant requires, it will produce fewer flowers and will eventually die because of root rot.
It seems logical that an enormous container will give roots enough space to grow and spread, leading to a healthy, blossom-filled plant. Instead, it leads to none! Let’s explore this blunder and ways to tackle it. Meanwhile, don’t forget to check out our plant pot sizes guide to help you pick the right one!
Ideally, a pot should be one or two sizes larger than the size of the plant’s rootball; this is what a plant typically needs. For example, a plant with a six-inch rootball needs to be repotted in an eight-inch or, at most, ten-inch-diameter container.
However, if we go four or more sizes bigger than the spread size of its rootball, which would be a fourteen-inch pot for a six-inch plant rootball, you’ve triggered not only the lack of flowering but the death of the plant as well! Here’s why.
Larger pots indicate more substrate, increasing the amount of water the plant retains. This leads to root rot, ultimately resulting in weak and dying plants. Also, this causes nutrients to be unevenly distributed, leading to fewer blooms.
Beneficial nutrients and fertilizers may not seep in and spread through