Helping Container Gardens Grow

(NAPSI)-If you want to branch out with your gardening skills, you may enjoy planting a container garden-gardens that have been planted in pots, rather than the earth.

The gardens are relatively easy to care for, but both the indoor and outdoor varieties are vulnerable when first planted or transplanted. Noted horticulturist Lance Walheim has a few tips to help them thrive:

• Start with a high-quality potting soil that holds adequate moisture, but is well aerated and drains well. Many potting mixes now include fertilizer that provides nutrients necessary for optimum plant growth.

• It's critical to provide protection from insects for young flowers or plants. Commonly found insects such as aphids, thrips, and whiteflies can stunt the growth of flowers or plants, or even kill them.

• Choose a potting mix that contains water-release polymers that store excess water and then release it when the soil dries. This will help prevent over- or under-watering.

"Indoor and outdoor container gardens will grow bigger, look healthier and last longer when these steps are taken," said Walheim. He recommends Bayer Advanced Garden 3-in-1 Multi-Purpose Potting Mix. It combines a high-quality growing medium with fertilizer, insect protection and a water polymer.

The mix has timed-release nutrients that continue feeding plants for up to nine months. It's also the only potting mix available in the United States that contains insect protection-the mix's proprietary ingredient, imidacloprid, protects plants from insect pests for up to four months.

You can learn more about caring for your lawn and garden by visiting www.bayeradvanced.com or calling 1-877-BAYERAG.

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