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Pot sizes - compact balcony plants

Balcony Balcony

I want to get a few (maybe 3-4) pot plants for my apartment balcony. It's quite roomy, facing North, with shaded and and sunny areas.

Looking at compact pot plants, I see they have a pot size specified. Are these just the size they are sold in, or are they recommended sizes? I want to get good pots for them.

I'm thinking of plants like Fuchsia Electric Lights, Jade Plant - crassula ovate, Ficus Lyrata, Peace lily - spathiphyllum Rocco, or Cyclamen persicum.

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Comments

EricL

Hello @CEH

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. Thank you so much for joining us and sharing your question about pot sizes for your balcony plants.

The pot sizes on the website are the sizes they are sold in. It all depends on the current size of the plant you purchase. If you purchase a 175 mm-sized Jade plant, it will be in a small pot approximately the same size as its entire body. In order for the plant to grow, you must provide room for its root system to flourish at least three to four times its size. I suggest using a Northcote Pottery 46 x 36cm Forest Green Primo Jardin Egg Planter to provide more room for the roots.

The same recommendation applies to the rest of your preferred plants. If there is more room to grow it allows the plant to flourish even more. Forcing the plant to stay in a small pot will stunt its growth and force it into a dwarf state or gets overly stressed and dies.

Here is a handy link: How to pot a plant

Let me tag our experienced members @Noelle and @Adam_W for their recommendations.

If you need more advice or information, please let us know

Eric

Noelle

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/15664#Comment_15664

Hi @CEH

Moving plants into larger pots should be a gradual process. Don't take a plant from a 140mm pot to a 500mm pot, for example, in one go. Do it in stages - go to a 300 or 400mm pot and then in a year or so, move up to a 500mm. Not only does a small plant look out of proportion in a large pot, too much potting mix around a small plant's root system can be as bad as not having enough. The mix can become stagnant, slump and lose its nutrients and structure before the roots have grown enough to move out into it.

Potting mix has a limited lifespan in a pot - it should be replaced every two or three years, so potting on in stages fits in neatly with that practice.

Large plants in big pots can be difficult to repot due to their weight, so the best option is to remove the top 100mm or so of mix every second year and replace it with fresh mix.

Good luck with your balcony garden! Send us some photos when you have settled on the plants and pots you want to have there.

CEH

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/15664#Comment_15664

Many thanks, EricL. Noelle also replied, and I've asked her a couple more questions.

CEH

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/70413#Comment_70413

Thank you Noelle. I've had experience with garden plants but my wife was the pot plant expert. Your advice was very helpful. I just want to clarify one aspect: should I leave new purchases in the the pots they were sold in for a period, e.g. 6-12 months, and then repot? I've seen advice that when you repot you should increase the pot size by 50% -- say 200mm to 300mm?

Lockdown makes it more difficult. I'm thinking of waiting till I can buy face-to face.

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/98318#Comment_98318

Hello @CEH

Let me tag @Noelle so that she is made aware of your questions. I agree with your thoughts on buying face-to-face, you can personally choose which plant is the healthiest. We look forward to seeing your plants once you have them in place.

If you need more advice or information, please let us know.

Eric

Noelle

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/98318#Comment_98318

Hi again @CEH

When new plants are repotted depends on a few things, including the time of year, whether they are "comfortable" in their existing pots and if their existing pots blend in or fit with your decor although this is of lesser importance as there are other options..

Repotting is best done when conditions are mild - spring and autumn. Avoid those seasons where plants are stressed due to extreme conditions (hot or cold).

If the plants have plenty of growing room in their existing pots, then you can leave them until either it's the right time of the year to transfer them or they've outgrown their existing accommodations.

You may also wish to hide or get rid of the plain plastic pots in which they came. This can be done by repotting into more attractive decorator pots or simply placing the plain pots into a more attractive outer pot to hide them.

Going up just one or two pot sizes at the most is a good approach.

I would always prefer to choose both pots and plants face to face rather than online. Nothing beats being to be able to physically see and handle what you're intending to buy! Personal shopping also allows you to mix 'n' match plants and pots to see what works best.

CEH

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/115885#Comment_115885

Many thanks Noelle. I'll certainly follow that advice. Hope to be able to shop in a few weeks! (:-)

CEH

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/70413#Comment_70413

Hi Noelle,

I finally got some plants: Ficus robusta, ctenanthe sets, peace lily and Daphne perfume princess, and set them up on the balcony. a couple of hours later a gusty wind came up and was blowing the plants about a lot. I realised I had often had similar winds. Fortunately I had room and stable spots inside for them all.

I have reviewed all the care information online, and for fertiliser the rubber tree, ctenanthe, and peace lily mention diluted liquid fertiliser, and the Daphne controlled release fertiliser. So, is Seasol OK, or do I. need something else. I assume Osmocote is a suitable controlled release. I would be grateful for your advice.

Regards,

Charles

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/98708#Comment_98708

Hello @CEH

You've chosen such beautiful plants. Let me tag @Noelle so that she's made aware of your questions. In regards to the strong winds on your balcony, have you thought about putting shade cloth on the rails as a windbreaker? Another option is to build square timber frames to hold the pots in place. But in hindsight, the strong winds might be detrimental to your plant's health. Seasol 1.2L Seaweed Health Tonic Concentrate has an application schedule behind the bottle, it will also advise you on the mixture ratio. There's also Seasol 1.25L Ready To Use Gold Liquid Health Tonic. This is a ready-to-use product and is handy to use when you're time-poor. However, you will get more applications using the concentrate.

Using Scotts Osmocote 500g All Purpose Controlled Release Fertiliser is an excellent way of feeding plants continuously. This is ideal for use on potted plants including vegetables, herbs, palms, orchids, and indoor plants. It's safe to use on new plants, the controlled release of nutrients means it will not burn soft leaves or tender young roots.

Let me tag our experienced members @BradN and @Adam_W for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

CEH

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/116115#Comment_116115

Many thanks, Eric. Sounds good. About the wind, now that I've lived here for 3 months, I know it swirls around in the balcony space and can get very strong. I thought the paneling on part of the open side railing would be a shelter, but it doesn't help.

Anyway, those are mainly indoor plants so I'm happy to stay with that. I'm thinking of using a couple of planter boxes on the balcony for some geraniums and gazanias, which should tolerate the wind better.

Regards,

Charles

BradN

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/98708#Comment_98708

Hi @CEH , hi @EricL . Windy balconies can be tricky, and your Ctenanthe and peace lily are not well suited to that sort of environment. They're better off indoors, or in a shady, humid area.

Both plants lose a lot of water via evaporation from their big leaves, and wind will make them dry out even faster - just like it dries out laundry on the line.

The leaves on the Ctenanthe and the peace lily will develop crispy brown tips if they dry out for too long. That won't kill them, but they won't look anywhere as nice.

Could you maybe keep the Ctenanthe in the bathroom? It will appreciate the humidity and it will be easy for you to take it in the shower with you to give it a good drench every week or so.

BTW, Seasol is a tonic, rather than a true fertiliser. When you repot a plant it's nice to give it a hit of Seasol diluted in the watering can to stimulate root growth. For fertiliser, as Eric said, the Osmocote slow-release is a good one.

Just looking more closely at your pics, have you left your plants in their little black plastic pots and then half-buried the little pots in the bigger pots? The best thing to do is take the plants out of their little plastic pots and plant them directly into the potting mix in the bigger pots.

For a windy balcony you can always consider bushy succulents like the Jade plant (Crassula ovata) . They don't have that leafy look but they're low-maintenance and tough as nails.

Hope that helps!

Brad

Noelle

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/116115#Comment_116115

Hi @CEH

The plants you've selected all look great and most, with the exception of the daphne, can be grown inside, as they are usually kept as "house plants". The daphne should be able to tolerate gusty winds outside provided the pot is stable and doesn't regularly blow over, losing the potting mix and so disturbing the roots.

The other plants - ficus, ctenanthe and peace lily - can have time outside when conditions are calm and mild but will do quite well indoors in good ambient light, not direct sun through the glass.

CEH

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/116116#Comment_116116

Hi Brad, I've left the plants in their sale pots till I get them positioned and get supplies like fertiliser. I will repot them in the coming week.

Thanks for your help.

Charles

BradN

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/126057#Comment_126057

Ah, groovy!

Adam_W

Hi @CEH as @Noelle mentioned the change of pot sizes is a progressive thing.
All those you've mention will do well in small to medium sized pots with the exception of the ficus. Figs are funny, I think of them like goldfish, they have a tendency to restrict their size to available growing area. As long as you keep them watered & fed they'll stay happy in surprisingly small pots.

If space is an issue a great way to save space on balconies is to use square and rectangular pots & planters. That way they can go completely into corners and against walls without wasted space and they can also 'nest' together without wasting space.

Noelle

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/16938#Comment_16938

Square and rectangular pots are a great idea, Adam! Perfect for areas where space is at a premium, like balconies.

CEH

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/126055#Comment_126055

Many thanks, Noelle. Much appreciated.

CEH

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/16938#Comment_16938

Thank you, Adam. That makes sense. I think the ctenante will need to go from the 25cm sale pot to a slightly larger 30cm one, as it is already fairly large.

CEH

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/126055#Comment_126055

Ctenanthe next North-facing window My ctenanthe is already quite large - 900mm high. I've read that they can get to 2m. Given the location shown, how how would you suggest? An how would I limit it to a certain height?

I have a humidifier coming - hope that helps the plants (and me!).

I'd be grateful for any advice.

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/132767#Comment_132767

Hi @CEH,

To limit the height of your Ctenanthe your can simply trim the taller leaf stems. This will encourage new lower growth keeping the plant more compact. You might have read that they they can spread up to 2m wide under the right conditions. I think you'll find that most varieties wouldn't grow much more than 1.2m high.

Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Mitchell

CEH

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/136830#Comment_136830

Many thanks, Mitchell. Will do.

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