What a silly topic – potting plants – just throw a plant in a pot and heave some dirt over it, right? Well, sort of, but let’s “dig” a little deeper. (Pardon the pun.)

There are many things to consider when potting plants into containers. Let’s concentrate on two basic principles: learning the proper planting depth and providing enough space in the pot to water correctly. Then we’ll finish with the techniques required to pot plants perfectly.

When container-planting, the top of the media should match up exactly with the crown of the plant. This area (where crown-meets-media) is called the “soil line.” Proper planting depth will ensure that very little stem is below the soil line and that the roots are covered sufficiently with media so that they’re not exposed to the air. Too deep, and the covered stem is susceptible to disease. Not deep enough, and the exposed roots may dry out and be killed.

Next, provide enough space between the top of the media and the top of the pot. This space is called the “reservoir.” The purpose of the reservoir is to hold enough water so that the plant gets thoroughly saturated in one application. It also prevents the media from being blasted out of the pot when watering. The reservoir depth is measured after the plant has been potted and watered-in and the media has settled.

The required reservoir depth depends on the diameter of the pot: The larger the diameter, the deeper the reservoir should be. As a guide, a ¼-inch reservoir depth is needed for a 4-inch pot, and a 1½-inch reservoir depth is needed for a 14-inch pot.

So now we’re ready to plant…

Fill about 1/3 of your container with media. Center the plant over the pot, suspending it in the air. Line the crown up with the side of the pot at just above the proper reservoir depth. Pour media in the pot and around the roots, with enough media to fill up the pot in-line with the crown.

Tamp the pot down on your potting bench or other flat surface several times to encourage the media to settle. The plant and the media should settle together to the correct reservoir depth. (If for some reason it doesn’t settle to the correct depth, simply scoop out some soil from the surface.)

Now unless you have it on good authority that your plant may try to escape, do not compact the media by pushing down on it from the top. Compaction of this magnitude will squeeze out the media’s air pockets, which can be detrimental to the plant’s roots. Tamping and watering-in should provide the needed compaction to support and anchor the plant in the pot.

Correct potting provides optimum growing conditions and makes for easier, more effective watering – keeping both plant and plant owner happy.

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