Cleaning planters

Planters are great vessels for portable gardening. Cleaning planters is a relatively easy endeavor that keeps your containers beautiful and your plants healthy.

Everybody inside!
Cleaning planters is an involved project. Planters, especially porous glazed clay and terra-cotta, should be brought inside. Moisture collects deep inside pores, so when the freeze comes, planters crack. Wooden decorative planters such as wheelbarrow planters can stay outside. Cleaning planters outside can be as involved as cleaning planters inside, so carry on with the following advice.

Or everybody out!
While cleaning planters, some gardeners empty their pots completely, replacing the old dirt with fresh soil in the spring. New plants love nutrient-rich soil. Also, old soil is compacted, and the roots cannot get air so easily. Exchanging soil make breathing a lot easier. Cleaning planters also alleviates another concern: Old soil is a breading ground for disease, weeds, and insects.

A good scrub
With the old dirt gone, cleaning planters goes full throttle. Spray the planter out with a powerful garden hose. Next, use a stiff-bristled brush and a diluted solution of bleach water to thoroughly scrub inside the planter. This brushing will remove salts and kill any germs or insect eggs hiding inside. Dishwashers are great for cleaning small planters.

But I like these plants!
Of course, you have those plants you want to keep. Planter scrubs needn’t be so devastating. Cleaning planters housing plants such as bonsai trees is easy. Use a mild soap and warm water to wipe off the planter. Any soil caking to the outside can be easily removed with a pocket knife. Be sure to check with your local garden supplier for proper soil care and inspection for your particular plant.

Yearly maintenance will not only extend the life of a planter, it makes the plant inside healthier. Spend an afternoon cleaning planters, and the garden will be gorgeous for many seasons to come.