Having containers built - what should I consider?

15 years ago

Hello everyone - we just moved into a new construction that we are still finishing out, and I have the "pinch me" great fortune of a carpenter at my disposal until the weather cools. It's always been a dream of mine to grow container citrus to satisfy our lemonade habit as well as take advantage of how stunning they are, especially in multiple plantings, but the cost of the planters has always been prohibitive. My husband was complaining that he was running out of things to keep our carpenter busy for the next couple of weeks and I about fell over when he agreed to let me build planters!

Our back deck gets full sun from 7am until about 3pm. I'm looking at containers about 30" high x 22" square. Since we do dip into the 20's off and on throughout the winter, we're going to build in hidden casters so we can roll them under the covered porch.

Here are my questions. First, we're looking at cedar - is that perfect, or is there another species we should consider? (I looked into the composite pvc woods, but our carpenter begged me not to as we're building a number of these and it's difficult to drill/cut).

Second, I've been reading about the gritty mix and I'm very intrigued. Should I put it directly in the planters or should we use a liner?

Finally, with the gritty mix, is it advisable to plant decorative annuals or something like an ivy at the base of the plant to give it interest and visual depth?

Thanks in advance for indulging my novice! I'm so excited, but I DO NOT want to screw this up :)

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Comments (6)

hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
15 years ago
I would definitely use a liner if at all possible, even with cedar. It will extend the life of your wood planters, alabamamommy. Citrus really prefer not to compete with other plants, so what I would try doing, instead of planting something with the citrus tree, is to purchase some nice decorative pots (maybe some pretty Talavera pots), to sit next to or in front of the wooden planters, and plant some ornamentals in those. I would use the gritty mix, the 511 mix or the Farfad Professional Nursery mix, then just mulch the planter with some finer wood mulch so it looks nice, and not just dirt. How exciting, I know how this feels :-) We just bought our dream home, and were able to build our outdoor kitchen, which has always been a dream to have. Please snap some pics so we can see! If you upload them to a photo sharing site (I use photobucket.com), you can copy the .html code, and paste that big code string right into the body of your message. That way, your photos appear right in your message, which is a very cool feature of our forum.

Patty S.
meyermike_1micha
15 years ago
Lucky you and nice to meet you!

I would also use a liner or buy some cans of wood sealer to protect the wood from dampness and eventual rot or discoloration, unless of course you like the worn out look.
I love Patty's idea about planters and I must say that citrus do not like to share their space within the pots they are in.

The gritty mix is a great idea since it will far outlast anything anyone has to offer for a potting medium which gives you the freedom to make the planters as big as you want without fear of compacted growth, a compacted medium and or root rot issues within a short period of time.

The other mixes as mentioned will breakdown much more rapidly requiring extra attention to soil structure and water retention. Yet, these mixes are also good for short term plantings. It is really a personal choice, but if it were me, I would start with a mix that holds its structure for a much longer time.

Lucky you since I also find containers, at least good looking ones very expensive and without character. Good luck and please post pics of the finished project. I would love to see it.

Mike:-)
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johnmerr
15 years ago
I've never had a lot of luck with containers; but you've got the guru on your team now, meyermike. One thing to keep in mind is that citrus get most of their nutrients from the first 18 inches of soil; so you should think about making your containers wider instead of deeper; also, if your temps only get into the 20's occasionally, you can put a light blanket over the tree and put a 75 watt light bulb inside overnight....lots easier than moving them inside. Send fotos of the planters with the trees... and plant Meyers... once you go Meyer, no other lemon is good enough! I'm not only a FAN of Meyers, I have 7,000 of them in the ground.
meyermike_1micha
15 years ago
Alabamamommy?

What have you decided to do?

Mike
Adrienne Gray
Original Author
15 years ago
Hi there - sorry for the dropout, we left left town for a funeral.

What wonderful responses from everyone. I'm kind of sheepish to admit this, but on our way home from the funeral, we stopped at an outlet center and found 28" inch tall planters for $58 each. They're made of resin, but we're going to sand and repaint and see how it goes. I'm sad to let go of the dream of the custom planters, but I can't justify the expense of the lumber after running across these.

Have you guys had any experience with using the resin containers (with a drain hole)?

Mike, I'm definitely looking at Meyers! My husband has the idea that they're best to get in October? Any truth to this? He's done a wonderful job with our home construction, but sometimes I think the details get shaken around a bit.

And John, great advice about the roots. These are long, urn style containers. Should I pot within the pot?
johnmerr
15 years ago
One drain hole is probably not enuf... you might want to drill more. Citrus are evergreens, so I don't know why October would be any better than other times. For Meyers you should get them planted now; so that they can adapt to the new medium and then you can start a regular fertilizing regime to get them ready for the Spring bloom.

Potting within pots doesn't make much sense; but I defer to those who are more knowlegeable about container growing