Richard Felber
Upkeep doesn’t have to be
a downer. Follow these tips and make the most of your time.
Watering: To reduce watering chores by up to half, use potting soil that contains water-retaining polymers, or add them yourself (try Soil Moist, $12 for a one-pound bag, at garden centers).
To check soil dryness, use the finger test. Insert your forefinger down to the second knuckle to gauge the moisture level.Fertilizing: Potted plants must have regular feedings. At planting, add a time-released organic fertilizer, like Cockadoodle Doo ($17 for a six-pound bucket, www.purebarnyard.com), to the soil and
you can forgo feeding for 90 days.Deadheading: The removal of faded blooms helps keep plants flowering. If that sounds like too much work, look for
“self-cleaning” plants, like impatiens, whose flowers shrivel up and drop off on their own.
