Pansies are such an interesting and cheerful flower. Did you know that pansies are edible? The great news is they grow well in containers indoors or outdoors. Growing potted pansies indoors provides you with colorful blooms virtually year round. Novice gardeners often have great success with container potted pansies indoors. What are some gardening tips to successfully fill your home with these delightful plants?
Container Size for Potted Pansies
The size container you choose to grow potted pansies is greatly determined by the number of pansies you wish to grow. Pansies have moderate fibrous root systems. The key is to insure you have plenty of room for the roots to spread and grow over time.
Ideally, a ten inch pot should hold no more than three to six pansies. This gives ample room for roots, stems, leaves and the blooms. The larger varieties of pansies, such as Bingo or Majestic Giants should only have three or four in a ten inch pot.
Lighting for Pottied Pansies
Pansies like full sun to partial shade. Place them near windows that receive light from the east or west side of the home. Avoid the north windows because there will not be enough light and blooms will significantly decrease.
If you’re using artificial plant grow lights, set them at a medium height from the potted pansies and set the timer for 8 to 10 hours of daily light. A low-level plant light shining up on the underside of the plants is ideal for 3 to 5 hours of the day.
It’s important to not allow potted pansies to get hot from direct sun or from artificial lights.
PH and Fertilizer Requirements of Potted Pansies
If you want maximum blooms on potted pansies avoid over-doing it with the fertilizer. Go with fertilizing the plants monthly or bi-monthly when they start to get lots of foliage or are not blooming.
Potted pansies like acidic soil to grow the best. Indoor gardeners can use time-released fertilizer for acidic plants. The other option is water the potted pansies once a month with coffee that is 1 part coffee with 4 parts water. Place thin layer of wood chip mulch around the base of the potted pansies to help with acidity and moisture control.
Adding Earthworms to Potted Pansies
One gardening tip secret for beautiful potted pansies is to add 4 to 6 earthworms to the pot after planting the pansies. Weekly rake a few coffee grounds and finely crushed dried eggshells into the soil with a fork. This will get the food to the worms and not damage the pansy roots. Check the worms bi-monthly and transfer new worms to other household plants to keep the potted pansies from overflowing with worms. Cover the drainage hole with plastic to keep the worms in the container.
Watering Potted Pansies
Watering potted pansies is relatively simple. Daily stick your thumb lightly into the center of the potted pansies. If it is moist, leave it alone. If it is dry add about 1/4 cup of water to the plant. Pansies like moist soil but not soggy soil.
Deadheading Potted Pansies
To get year round blooms you must deadhead pansies. Keep an eye on the blooms. Pinch blooms off completely with 1/2 inch of the stem. In the middle of the summer, prune potted pansies leaving only 1/2 of the plant. Don’t worry it will come back and give you blooms in the fall and winter months.
Return to Garden Designs, Tips and Ideas
By: Joyce Priddy
Related Articles:
