Hi, Laura. It's not unusual for container plants to grow with reduced vitality compared to the same plants in the garden, but you should be able to come very close if you can provide the right cultural conditions. If you're religious about watering every day, and your plants don't need it, you could be creating a soil in the lower portion of the container that is largely devoid of air. This means that the plants only have a small amount of soil near the top of the container that remains well aerated enough to support a root system. The likelihood of this occurring increases as soil ages.

Another possibility is: if you are only using a slow release fertilizer, the plants are likely to be short of nutrients. Slow release fertilizers often do not release enough nutrients in containers to overcome the effect of frequent waterings carrying nutrients out the drain hole. Also, the frequent waterings of containers leach nutrients from the granules much quicker o/a than when they are used in gardens or beds.

If your fertilizer does not contain the minor elements (micro-nutrients) your plants might be exhibiting symptoms of a deficiency. Unless you use something with the minor elements, nutrient deficiencies in containers are closer to the rule than the exception.

It's also possible that it could be a little of more than one thing listed above. I offer some possibilities, but there wasn't a lot of detail in your post that might point to something definitive.

Good luck this year. ;o)

Al

Thank you, Al. After I posted this message I found your post (Container soils and water in containers (long post)) and got more than a few ideas from there, not to mention a ton of knowledge. You are soooo helpful. :)

Trial and error, I love it! -and i mean that, i truly love tweaking my gardening methods from year to year.

Thanks again!
Laura