Story: Father’s Day Planters
Episode: 3
Presenter: Sue McDougall
Air Date: 29th August 2020

Plants in the home and the workplace are proven to improve concentration and stimulate the senses and the mind, making a planter a fantastic present for your dad this Father’s Day.

• A self-watering planter is a great choice if your dad has never gardened before. These pots have a reservoir in the base and the plant is watered through capillary action.
• Remember to allow the reservoir to dry out before topping up. Occasionally watering from the top will ensure the soil is damp all the way through.
• Choose some indestructible varieties of indoor plants to go in your planter.
• Syngoniums are available in many different foliage forms and colours, from light green to speckled foliage, deeply veined and a pink shade. This indoor plant has been popular for years.
• The Peace Lily is another hardy indoor flowering plant. They’re ideal for novice gardeners and their white flowers will last for months. They also grow in low light conditions.
• Fill your pot with premium potting mix and jam the plants in to create an instant effect, filling any gaps with more potting mix.
• The saucer will overflow when you water it in. Make sure you drain this water out.
• At the beginning of every season, apply a controlled release fertiliser, such as Troforte M  All Purpose, on the surface and scratch it in the soil slightly. This will feed the plants over an extended period time and minimise salts building up in the soil.
• If an indoor planter is not your dad’s style, maybe a mini cacti garden will suit him better. These require less care, only needing water about every 3 months.