By Andrea Pavee
To keep up with gardening enthusiasts, gardening accessories is a burgeoning industry with a little something for everyone.
While spoilt for choice on the range out there, here are some practical accessories which can easily find a place in your home, and become necessities, in time.
Let me introduce you to pot plates, feet, stands and carpets…
Pots placed “naked” on tiled or concrete floors can, over time, stain the area where they have been left to lie.
These stains are caused by the humidity of our tropical climate, the moisture in the pot, and also the run-off of the soil and dirt from the pot.
If you are in the habit of switching one like-sized pot with another, these stains may not be obvious, or easily covered up. However, if you are worried about permanently marking your floor, here are a few accessories which may help.
Pot Plates
Pot plates are convenient ways to self-water your plants.
Simply pour water at the base of the plate, and leave your plant to absorb the water, at leisure.
However, since dengue remains a constant threat, this may keep you walking a tightrope, between watering your plant, and making sure the plates remain dry.
In my garden, my pot plates are upended, which provide the perfect flat base for my pot to stand securely. To ensure my plants get enough water, daily watering does the trick.
My friend does the opposite.
Every morning, she fills her pot plates with water and before dusk, her gardener makes sure each plate is dry. With a fulltime gardener, that is easily managed. With a small garden range, you can do it too.
However, with bigger gardens and many plants, that can be back breaking work.
Pot Feet
Pot feet or risers, are little clay objects which can be placed at the base of your pot to raise them about an inch or so off the ground. Depending on the circumference of the base of your pot, 3-4 “feet” should keep it steady.
Pot feet are cute, and relatively cheap, with some nurseries offering snazzy designs.
Pot Stands
Pot stands come in a variety of sizes and shapes.
Some are made for individual pots, whilst others can house a bigger number in tiered resplendence.
They are made with a variety of materials from wood to plastic or metal.
To lengthen their shelf life, you will need to pair your stand with the type of plants you place on them. For example, succulents go well with wooden stands since they require little moisture.
Plants which require a lot of watering will pair well with wrought iron or powder coated stands. Then, splash away!
Plastic stands are light, and easy to manage especially if you regularly redesign the look of your garden.
Stands are also perfect for helping you keep outdoor floor areas clean as it is easy to reach otherwise hard to reach areas.
Grass Carpets
Grass carpets come with various weaves, and with matching prices. Grass carpets with a high weave pattern are easily able to trap dirt, soil and sand, thus preventing floor stains.
Additionally, thicker weave carpets look so lush, real and are easily maintained (you just need to grab it and shake it, from time to time), that I have a friend who has substituted her garden grass with it.
She saves a ton of money off grasscutters and the need to keep watering her grass during the hot and dry inter-monsoon seasons.
To up your gardening game, accessorize!
Posted by Chayo, HomSkil Editor 1, 6 August 2021
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