How the COVID-19 crisis has turned many Pinoys into overnight plantitos and plantitas is no surprise at all. For one thing, it has inspired us to bring life into our homes through the beautiful plants and delicious fruits and veggies that we care for despite all the COVID-19 worries floating around outside our doors. However, populating our vocabulary with new terms such as greenhouse shade nets, loam soil, and container gardening among the many others can be a challenge for some newbies out there. And with so many plant species around, some necessary reading is required to be successful in your home gardening venture.
Let’s start with the term “container gardening” which simply means planting seeds in containers rather than directly in the soil, and closely looking after them for growth or produce. This method gives you plenty of benefits if you have the right space for it (indoors or outdoors), but more on that later. In the meantime, let’s get into more about the basics of container gardening first.
Container gardening 101
Whether you’re planning to grow edible or non-edible plants, caring for them in containers to maximize your garden space is just plain smart and practical. It is the perfect method for those who are new to gardening because of how simple it can show you how the entire process works. Make no mistake about it though. The proverb “magtanim ay ‘di biro” still applies here in how you should familiarize yourself first with the many elements that come along with the practice. And as they say, practice makes perfect!
If you think growing plants is too elementary, think again as you’ll still need to learn specific details about your plant species, how much light they need, what ideal temperatures you have to set for their environment, and which soil mix will work best for your containers.
Using quality greenhouse shade nets like the ones produced by leading local provider Philippine Ranging Nets, solves two of your main concerns in how they both regulate the sunlight your plants receive while helping simulate the right climate so they don’t wither and die due to either too much heat or cold.
Some ornamental plant species for container gardening such as Ivy, Coral Bells, or our favorite Christmas plant Chrysanthemum grow in colder climates which will require you to use darker-colored greenhouse range nets for your garden, lawn, or greenhouse. On the other hand, edibles such as tomatoes, peppers, or cucumbers thrive in warmer temperatures.
Know more about the many uses of greenhouse shade nets here.
As for the preferred soil mix when it comes to container gardening, loam soil is your best bet. Sacks of these soil mixtures comprising sand, silt and clay are readily available in most gardening stores and are quite affordable. Best of all, they are able to hold plenty of moisture while also good in draining the same so that more air can reach your plants’ roots. Ordinary garden soil can be too dense for your plants especially when you use them as beds for your pots. If you can find more suitable potting mix other than loam soil, make sure they are lightweight and fluffy before you use them in your containers or raised beds.
The benefits of container gardening
So, now we come to the big question: what good does container gardening really offer?
First of all, if you are planting edibles, you get food that’s ready to be plucked and served to table. Aside from that, you can also opt to sell produce or the plants themselves and increase your profit!
Also, have we told you how plants improve both your environment’s aesthetics and temperature? They give you good oxygen supply when placed indoors, control dust, ample shade, and make your overall surroundings absolutely beautiful.
Learning about container gardening, from using the right shade nets to creating the perfect mix of soil elements is easy enough with regular practice. And so is taking care of your plants. You can easily spot which ones are suffering from fungus diseases and give the proper treatment immediately and prevent them from spreading the disease to the others like wildfire.
Other known benefits of container gardening are correct-posture gardening (raise your pots so that you don’t get backaches from arching too low), portability, and prevention of plant theft (yes folks, that’s a real thing), since your plants are well-secured with greenhouse shade nets.
Lastly, it’s a good way to teach the little ones about the value of planting seeds and reaping the fruits of their labor. Plants do give us hope after all and for most adults, that’s perhaps the very thing that inspired us to do some gardening while in quarantine in the first place.
Check out Philippine Ranging Nets and our line of quality Filipino-made greenhouse shade nets and send us an email at [email protected] or call +63977 007 0228 to learn more.
Philippine Ranging Nets provide Filipino-made multi-purpose nets mainly used for free ranging chickens and other poultry. Trusted by top-breeders, PRN’s top quality affordable ranging nets are available nationwide.
