Hello, newbie here! Seeking some advice for plant care

[rchynkim]

Hello! I live in an apartment in California and have begun a new hobby of potted plants. I couldn't get much decent advice at Home Depot so I sought out this forum. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated as I am a complete newbuck in this field.

My starter 3: rosemary, catnip, petunia.

They're all in separate pots with saucers on the bottom. Is it okay if the saucer for the clay pots are snugly fit? Or should the saucer be larger than the bottom of the pot? I know any excess water has to leak out of the bottom hole but with clay I don't know if the clay saucer being snugly fit would interfere at all?

Also, is it fine to leave these 3 plants out in sunlight all day? When it gets extremely hot and the sunbeams too intense (as is regular in CA ), I do move the plants into the shade.

Should I be watering them every singly day? Also, how do I know if I am overwatering? I heard plants should be watered whenever the top of the soil is completely dry?

Do I need to buy fertilizer product? What kind would you recommend?

I purchased Miracle Gro's All Purpose Gardening Soil yesterday per the advice of the Home Depot worker. Is this good soil to continue working with for these plants?

What are these terms "plant pinching" "pruning", etc?

This afternoon, I found an orange caterpillar-ish thing on my petunia flower! I moved it off. Is this normal? Should any bugs found on any of the plants always be removed?

Thank you!

[fairygardengirl]

First of all, some plants like full sun, and some do not. If weather is very hot, water every day, but water either in the morning, or evening, when it's not as hot. I use Neptune's harvest fish fertilizer on potted plants. you could also use mulch on top of the soil, which would help keep in the moisture. Hope this helped!

[rainbowgardener]

Hello! I live in an apartment in California and have begun a new hobby of potted plants. I couldn't get much decent advice at Home Depot so I sought out this forum. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated as I am a complete newbuck in this field.

My starter 3: rosemary, catnip, petunia.

They're all in separate pots with saucers on the bottom. Is it okay if the saucer for the clay pots are snugly fit? Or should the saucer be larger than the bottom of the pot? I know any excess water has to leak out of the bottom hole but with clay I don't know if the clay saucer being snugly fit would interfere at all? No the saucer fitting too tightly will prevent proper drainage. You can help with this problem by filling the saucer with small rocks, so that the pot sits above the saucer instead of in it. That will allow drainage and keep the pot from sitting in the drained water, which is preferable.

Also, is it fine to leave these 3 plants out in sunlight all day? When it gets extremely hot and the sunbeams too intense (as is regular in CA ), I do move the plants into the shade. Rosemary is a Mediterranean climate plant and can pretty much handle all the sun you have. The other two will benefit from some shade from the hot afternoon sun. If you have a place to put your pots where they are in shade in the afternoon, you won't have to keep moving them. The rosemary can handle the sun, but it will also tolerate a bit of afternoon shade.

Should I be watering them every singly day? Also, how do I know if I am overwatering? I heard plants should be watered whenever the top of the soil is completely dry? When to water is tricky, it depends on temperatures, humidity (or lack thereof), the plant and how much moisture it wants, hours of sun, etc. Wilting and yellowing are signs of over-watering. Catnip is in the mint family and likes a lot more moisture than the dry climate rosemary, so they should not be in the same pot. Mix some extra perlite or cactus mix in the potting soil for the rosemary and only water it when the soil is really drying out. The other two can be watered when the top inch or two of the soil is dry.

Do I need to buy fertilizer product? What kind would you recommend? Yes, plants in containers need to be fertilized. But if you just potted them up recently and the potting soil contained Miracle gro or something like that, you won't need to fertilize for the first three months. After that just get a good balanced (the NPK numbers on it are the same) liquid fertilizer and add it to the water for the catnip and petunias maybe once a month. Rosemary needs fertilizing very rarely, maybe once in spring and once in fall.


It may seem like a lot to learn but eventually you will get to know your plants and their needs. Every plant has a set of requirements for type of soil (how rich, how well draining, how acid), sun, water, fertility etc. These are based on where the plant originated, so what conditions it was adapted to. Rosemary for example is native to the dry, rocky areas of the Mediterranean, especially along the coast. The genus name Rosmarinus derives from the Latin words ros and marinus which together translate to “dew of the sea." It is used to getting its water by mist rather than the soil.

I purchased Miracle Gro's All Purpose Gardening Soil yesterday per the advice of the Home Depot worker. Is this good soil to continue working with for these plants? NO. Sorry, but garden soil is meant for gardens, I.e. adding to the ground. It is not good for plants in containers. Too heavy, moisture holding, tends to pack down in containers. If you haven't opened it, you can probably take it back. What you need is called potting soil or potting mix. Sorry, but in general the H.D. and other big box workers know less than you do. They are just there to take your money.

What are these terms "plant pinching" "pruning", etc? We can deal with that after you figure out how to keep these plants alive!

This afternoon, I found an orange caterpillar-ish thing on my petunia flower! I moved it off. Is this normal? Should any bugs found on any of the plants always be removed? It is normal for various bugs to show up, but most of them are there to eat your plants. Removing them is good.

Thank you!