Customize Your Own Cocoa Liners

It’s time to start work on this year’s container plantings. Many years ago, I received a triple-tier garden planter as a gift. It was six feet tall with wire mesh bottom and decorative sides, and was meant for use with cocoa liners. Of course, cocoa liners break down by the end of a single season, so they became an annual cost. The size of the largest two levels meant this was a hefty expense. Because I am thrifty (read: cheap), I decided to experiment with a different method. I am sharing my success with you in this blog.

The condensed version: Make your own liners. Sew them into place. Line the liners with landscape fabric. Fill with soil and plant.

Now for the non-condensed version: Instead of continuing to purchase pre-cut liners, I bought an entire roll of cocoa mat. These are available in different sizes; I purchased the largest one I could find. It was a substatial initial cost, but the length of the roll meant I would have material for many years into the future. I used a scrap piece of material (old tablecloth) to cut a pattern for each of the three tiers. I thought I could use landscape scissors or pruners to cut the liner material, but it was tougher than I thought possible. I dulled several pairs of scissors and a pair of metal-cutting shears before I thought to wet the material. I used a large galvanized tub intended for farming use. Bingo! Soaking the roll in water for about 30 minutes made the trimming process easy, if somewhat messy. Warm water made it ever easier.

If you don’t want to purchase an entire roll of cocoa liner, check out better nurseries or farm supply stores. Many will sell this material by the foot during the spring gardening rush. This photo was taken years ago, so the price shown is not accurate in today’s market.

This was one of my first cut-to-size attempts. The jagged edges show where I tried to use scissors. The smooth edges were where the liner was cut after soaking.

Once the cutting process was complete, I placed those pieces into the appropriate level of the container and secured it into place using clear fishing monofilament and an upholsterer’s needle (looks like a regular sewing needle but 6 inches long and sturdy). It was simple to push the needle through the cocoa mat and wrap it around the metal frame. The clear monofilament was invisible against the wire frame of the baskets.

I used an upholstery needle (green arrow points to it) and clear monofilament fishing line to secure the cocoa liner to the metal frame.

Next, I used the same fabric to cut permeable landscape fabric to a slightly smaller size as each of the cocoa liners. I held the landscape fabric in place with a couple more monofilament stitches.

After this circle was cut, I trimmed it a bit to make it slightly smaller than the cocoa liner.

Finally, filled the baskets with soil and plants. The landscape fabric allowed water through but kept the potting soil from working its way into and through the cocoa mat. The fabric slowed water enough to ensure the potting soil was soaked through but not so long that roots were soggy.
This combination of steps took time, but the basket liners lasted five years before they needed replacing. I probably could have gotten through a sixth year if I had not accidentally cut through the landscape fabric when I was digging out spent plants.

This is the fall cleanup after three years. Old plants have been pulled out. New potting soil will be poured in so that the baskets will be ready for spring planting. The hot-pink duct tape on the handle of the soil scoop helps me find it.

Triple tier planted in primary colors

Triple tier with cut Christmas greenery

If you use standard cocoa liners for hanging baskets, this effort may be beyond what you are willing to do, but if you have oversized baskets, give it a try.

Pre-Winter Propagation Chores

It is Thanksgiving week, and I am concentrating on hosting family and friends rather than researching cool plants. Instead of my normal format, I want to share a few photos of my pre-winter tasks. Other than a single cold snap in October, this year’s autumn has been unusually warm. This means that I had extended time to take a few cuttings for rooting in the greenhouse, as a head start on next gardening season.

A green-and-white container combination seems fresh and cool in the hottest part of the summer. I like to combine Cuban Oregano with variegated ivy and Diamond Frost Euphorbia. The Cuban Oregano (Plectranthus variegata) shown here was a gift from my friend Ann in 2009. The plant is not cold-hardy, so I have overwintered a few cuttings every year since then. It is a wonderful memory of our friendship. I take more cuttings than I need as insurance against rooting failure, so I have extras to share. Six weeks ago, I started four branch tip cuttings to take advantage of apical dominance – plants like to grow from their tips -- in a recycled, sanitized four-pack. They rooted well, so graduated this week to four-inch containers.

Cuban Oregano (Plectranthus variegata) is moving from a 4-pack to a 4-inch container.

I adore the succulent groundcover Mezoo. It has gone by several genus names, including Aptenia, Doreanthus, and Mesembryanthemum. I do not know which one of these is correct, so I rely on the common name in my labeling. Mezoo roots readily and grows fast, so I stuck my cuttings in two-inch plugs. Most have rooted and are ready to graduate to four-inch pots. In late February, they will need to move up again, to one-gallon containers.
About that labeling: the plant labels you see here are sections of an old window blind. A single damaged vinyl blind (cat owners, IYKYK) can be recycled into a lot of plant labels. The slats are flexible enough to cut to the preferred length with kitchen shears, and strong enough to last. They don’t rot or rust. For plants that will go into the ground without their labels, I use a Sharpie Extreme marker on the blind. The Extreme will withstand UV rays and frequent watering without fading. For transplants that will have their identifying label planted along with the plant itself, I use weather-resistant tape on a Brother P-Touch Label Maker. Some of these have lasted more than five years for me. Sadly, a few have outlived the plants they identified. 

Lovely, heat-tolerant, succulent groundcover Mezoo is moving from plugs to 4-inch pots. It will share a tray with Cuban Oregano, since they both prefer drier conditions in the greenhouse.

I took a few cuttings of favorite annuals, Alternanthera ‘Purple Prince’ and Coleus ‘Freckles.’ Here, you see that I have removed the Alternanthera from its four-inch container to confirm that it has enough roots to move up to a one-gallon size. I do not know the science behind it, but plants prefer to move into slightly larger containers. If a two-inch plug goes directly into a three-gallon container (I exaggerate, but you get the point), it will languish and fail. That same rooted two-inch plug will move successfully to a four-inch container. Once that four-inch container has roots showing around the bottom and sides, it can be bumped up to the next size, and then again once that pot shows roots around its outside perimeter. To ensure the good health of a plant, move it to the next larger size before it gets rootbound, meaning that the container is overfilled or choked with roots. Even though I am using round pots in these photos, I far prefer the square pots. There seems to be less root girdling with squares than with rounds. Rounds have the advantage of using less potting soil.  

Checking that the cutting has rooted well enough to move to the next size container.

Here, I have moved the Alternanthera, the Coleus, and Centrantherum (“Lark Daisy”) to one gallon containers for the winter. And here is my final gardening tidbit for this blog: To apply the time-release fertilizer that will keep these plants well-fed until spring, I took an empty plastic one-quart container, washed it well, and used a small bit to drill a bunch of holes in the plastic lid. This works like a large salt-shaker to apply fertilizer (or any pelletized product) easily and evenly. I have multiple lids, with different diameter holes. Milorganite, for instance, is a small pellet that requires a smaller gauge hole for ideal distribution.

Alternanthera, Centrantherum, and a few Daylily divisions are potted up and ready to overwinter in the greenhouse. I pinched the growing tips and removed the flower buds to encourage stocky, well-branched specimens.

 Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

Garden Geek Speak: Buffer pH

Summer is winding down, and it is time to start thinking about next year’s garden. One of the smartest things a gardener can do is to submit a soil sample to the nearest extension office. For a nominal fee, a University lab will evaluate your soil and provide a list of recommendations on amendments.

Why test soil now instead of next spring? Many southeastern beds, borders and lawns need an application of lime (limestone) to adjust the pH of the soil. Without a correct pH, plants cannot efficiently absorb available nutrients. Lime works slowly. Obtain your recommended application rate now, apply it after the end-of-summer cleanup, and allow fall season rains to carry it into the soil where the adjustment process will take place during winter.

Because my gardening beds are not located near each other, they have different needs. I select three areas each year for soil testing. Recommendations are geared toward the plants grown in the test area, so my blueberry beds will have one set of recommendations, my shade garden (hostas and ferns) will have another, and the perennial beds on a rocky southwestern slope will have yet another. Next year I will select three different areas for testing. While you could test annually, I find that once every three years is sufficient.

Fortunately, the University-generated amendment recommendations are spelled out in terms almost anyone can understand. For instance, here is the recommended zinc application for new pecan trees: Use 1 pound of 16-4-8 or 1½ pounds of 12-6-6 fertilizer distributed in a 25-square-foot area around the tree. Make this application immediately after planting and again in June or July. The following February, apply 4 pounds of 16-4-8 or 5 pounds of 12-6-6 fertilizer for each inch of trunk diameter (measured 1 foot above soil surface). Pretty clear, yes?

There is one item on the soil analysis which is confusing. There is one number for Soil pH and another number for Buffer pH. The two numbers are not the same. What is the difference? Simply put, Buffer pH measures a soil’s resistance to change. A soil with high clay content will take a different quantity of product (lime, sulphur or aluminum) to effect pH change than a soil with high sand content. The soil pH meters sold in garden centers can provide a measurement of soil pH, but they cannot give an application rate based on soil structure.

Don’t waste time and money with guessing. I learned this the hard way. After applying 10-10-10 fertilizer to my beds for years, my first soil test indicated a phosphorus level that was off the chart. (I like to blame Martha Stewart’s garden book recommendation for Triple SuperPhosphate, but the fault is all mine. Her Connecticut soil needed phosphate. My South Carolina soil did not.) Out of balance soils take time to correct. It took several years before my excessive phosphorus dropped to a normal level. Before I knew better, the addition of 10-10-10 always made my plants look better short-term as they took up the available nitrogen. Nitrogen leaches out quickly, so as soon as the first flush of growth subsided, plants looked a little unhealthy and I added more 10-10-10 or 17-17-17, making the imbalance worse. While it seems that a fertilizer “with added micronutrients!” should be superior, it is only better if your soil actually needs those micronutrients.

Following the instructions provided, gather a soil sample and stick to the resulting recommendations. It is important to follow good sampling technique so that the resulting recommendation is accurate. As a side note, it is usually unnecessary for homeowners to pay extra money for a lab-generated Organic Matter Test. It sounds like it should be useful, but this measurement is used by farmers to calculate how much herbicide they need for crop treatment.

When spreading lime or fertilizer in a narrow bed, perhaps one surrounded by lawn or patio, it is difficult to use a mechanical spreader without getting the product where you don’t want it. Spreading by hand can be uneven and tiring if your beds are large. Here is my method: Take a clean, empty plastic quart container (mayonnaise jar is perfect). Remove the top and use an electric drill to make holes in the lid. For fertilizer, I use a 3/8” bit and make a lot of holes. Adjust your hole size and quantity to the product you are spreading. Fill the dry container with fertilizer or lime, attach the lid and you have a giant “salt shaker.” The light weight of the container makes for easy application. I keep one of these homemade spreaders in every bag of fertilizer, ant bait or pelleted insecticides. If you measure the correct amount of fertilizer for the given space into the jar, it is easy to avoid applying too much.