Do you spend money on pot plants?

Discussion in Home & Garden started by Dora M • Jul 22, 2014.

  1. Dora M

    Dora MWell-Known Member

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    I have mostly lived in the country with a big backyard and plenty of trees and shrubs around my cottage. Actually, I had trouble to keep all the abundant flora at bay as the plants had a tendency to literally overgrow my home. So I never bothered about pot plants. But since I have moved to the city, I find myself constantly looking for new plants that I can put around my apartment. They need soil and fertiliser and nice containers, and it all adds up. Any ideas how I can save on costs, apart from not buying any more?
     
  2. deansaliba

    deansalibaActive Member

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    I buy a lot of pot plants so to save money I buy them from m local pound shop or I just buy seeds, as we have two gardens (one at the front and one at the back) we need quite a few of them, and because people steal them from our front garden we have to keep replacing them so getting them for £1 each makes it a little bit easier on the wallet.
     
  3. Denis Hard

    Denis HardWell-Known Member

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    In addition to simply buying seeds, all you probably need is the containers you'll use to grow your plants in. Take a ride out of town and dig up some soil. Just make sure it's not privately owned land, lest you get yourself in trouble. Ship the soil back to where you're staying. Plants your seeds and wait for your plants to grow. As for fertilizers, you could choose not to use them.
     
  4. LovelyLanie

    LovelyLanieMember

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    Make sure that if you do go dig up dirt from outside that you sterilize it before you use it. All you need to do is spread it evenly on a pan, no more than 3 or 4 inches deep and bake it in the oven at 180 degrees Fahrenheit for half an hour. Of course you can only do this with small batches of soil at a time and it stinks to high heaven so make sure to keep all your windows open to air out the house. This way, you can be sure that there are no fungus, molds or unwanted pests in the dirt that can harm your plants.
     
  5. Verity Darkwaters

    Verity DarkwatersActive Member

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    It would be cheaper to buy seeds and small starter pot set and grow your own. They have like 4-12 slots. But that can be a hassle. For pots I just go to the dollar store, it is way cheaper to buy pots there than somewhere like Home Depot (we don't like that store and refuse to go, we go to Lowe's) or Walmart. Plus, you can make your own with old soda bottles, milk or water jugs, there are guides all over the internet.
     
  6. insertkittyface

    insertkittyfaceActive Member

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    I never do. Usually, I'll just plant my own flowers in pots and let them grow like that, that way I have more control of how they look and how much money goes into it and not to mention, it's much more fun that way, to plant something and watch it come to life!
     
  7. prettycolors

    prettycolorsActive Member

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    For recipients I cut some plastic beer bottles in half and voila, free pots! And for the plants themselves I bought seeds or plant bulbs. The earth I bought from the store - it's dirt cheap (yay puns!) and it's already fertilized and pest free. All this does involve some extra work when compared with simply buying the potted plants but you learn something, have fun and save some money in the process.
     
  8. Pat

    PatWell-Known Member

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    For containers to plant my seeds in or a new plant I use milk catons, soup cans, old cups anything I can find that will hold the plant. Some times people will put old planters on the curb for trash, I will pick those up but I clean them reall good before I put my plant into a used container.

    Cooking the soil to rid it of germs is good but it does deplete the nutrients in the soil, you will need to feed the plants to make sure they grow healthy.
     
  9. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    In the United States "pot plants" are marijuana plants, and potted plants are plants that grow in pots. I only spend about $3 each and I buy mostly herbs and edible plants so that I can save a little money on herbs for cooking. I made the dumb move of giving my empty terra cotta pots to my ex neighbor when I moved, so now I have to start over and make some planters.
     
  10. chiofthenorns

    chiofthenornsActive Member

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    I do. Every Sunday, my mother and I go to the weekend market to check the plants being sold. We usually buy two or more potted plants for our garden. To save cost, you can make a compost for your fertilizer. You can also recycle old containers as pots. If you really want to save, maybe you should just consider buying plastic plants or flowers for decoration.
     
  11. DonnaIReilly

    DonnaIReillyActive Member

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    Yes, I love pot plants. I think I get this from my dad with him being a gardener. Every two weeks I go to the local flower market and pick a few up. I've had to stop now though because my husband is a bit fed up of us having too many plants :D.
     
  12. Jessi

    Jessi<a href="http://www.quirkycookery.com">QuirkyCooke

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    I don't do it often, but yes, I have been known to buy a plant or two in the past.

    For example, when I moved into my last apartment, I didn't have any plants and really wanted a couple, so I bought them on clearance from a Lowe's one night and was happy with them.
     
  13. pennylane

    pennylaneActive Member

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    I have potted plants inside. They do a lot for the decor and make me feel better. I usually buy them at the store. You can find pots and seeds at the dollar store for very cheap if you want to grow your own. I haven't had much success doing that :/