Need advice on container plants I recently planted!

[rubyred716]

Hi everyone,

I decided to plant this year and I need some advice on my container plants. I don't have a garden area to plant so that's why I planted in containers. I went to Home Depot and bought Miracle Gro Potting Mix. On the front it says "Grows plants twice as big, Feeds up to 6 months, More blooms for more color." So the flowers I planted a little over a week ago are marigolds and impatiens. The impatiens I know like shade but they started to look like the flowers were shriveling up a couple days after I planted them...I haven't watered them a lot at all because the soil feels moist. So I took them out of the pots ( I have 2 small pots and I planted 1 in each pot) and replanted a new impatien plant in each. They look about the same since I planted them 4 days ago. The marigolds look great. (my favorite flowers!)

I also planted tomatoes, peppers, basil, and strawberries with the same soil. I didn't add any fertilizer to the soil when I planted them. All of the vegetables and strawberries look good, but 2 of the pepper plants their leaves fell off and they look like they're dying ( I think because I planted them too close to the wall of the container.)

All of the plants get good sunlight except for the impatiens since I know they don't really like the sun that much.

My questions are, should I be adding fertilizer? If so, what kind/brand, how much, how frequently, and when should I start doing it?

Also, I haven't watered the plants in 4 days and they still feel damp..I dug like a 1-2 inch hole with my finger and the soil was still moist. Is it bad if I haven't watered them? I'm not sure why they're still damp if they're in the sun...

Please give me your opinions/advice so I know what to do and I know what to change for next time I plant anything!

Thank you all!

[applestar]

Was this MG Moisture Control in I think blue bag?
If so, it has moisture holding polymers in it and keeps the soil too damp for some plants that don't like that. Peppers could very well be a prime example.

No. Don't add any fertilizer. There is fertilizer already in the mix and it will be too much. Adding fertilizer is not the answer in any case when plants are stressed.

I think though, that 4 days in the sun is too long for the containers to NOT need watering. How big are the containers? So if the soil is drying, then it would make sense for the marigold which is the most drought tolerant to be still doing well, while impatiens which I think are least drought tolerant would show effects first. Also, the. Moisture Control polymers -- they are not well reviewed you know. The polymers will hold water and swell up and supposedly slowly release the water into the soil, but once they start to dry, they will absorb water from whatever source they can, including the plants, and it's a double whammy if the potting mix is peat-based.

Also, it maybe that you out the plants in the sun too soon. After transplanting, all plants regardless of sun pref need 24 hours in the shade or dappled shade. And they need to be slowly acclimated to full sun if they had been kept indoors or in shadier locations previously.

Post some pictures if you can. That would make it easier to diagnose the problem.

[rubyred716]

Hello,

Thanks for replying. No, this wasn't the moisture control. It was just the regular Miracle Gro Potting Soil Mix from Home Depot.

Do I eventually need to add fertilizer though?

My impatiens are in smaller type pots.. I only put 1 plant in each. I will post a picture of them in a few minutes. The marigolds are in a long pot, I would say 7/8 inches deep? I'll post pictures of them after this post.

We planted them at around 5pm when no sun was out and the sun didn't come out till the next morning. But I understand..I didn't know they should be shaded for 24 hours.

Thanks again

[rubyred716]

Hello!

Ok so I can't post the pictures right now, but here are the sizes:

The impatiens are planted in a 8in x 8in poly planter. ( 1 impatien plant in each one )

All the others I would say at least 10 inches depth.. I will check when I get home