Clean Your Clay Pots

This spring before heading to the local garden center for flowers to decorate your porches and patios, why not take a little extra time and clean your clay pots?

This often-neglected step can help to provide your new plants with an optimal growing environment from the beginning of the season.

Salts from fertilizer dissolve in the water that moves through the clay. When the pot dries, the salts form a crusty residue on the surface. A primary symptom of salt toxicity is the "burning" or browning of the edges of the leaves. To help prevent salt toxicity, remove last year's salt buildup. Soak the pots in a vinegar solution of one cup of vinegar to three cups water.

Another disadvantage of the clay pot is its potential for harboring diseases over the winter season. The disease organisms remain dormant while the pots are in storage and revive when the pots are put to use. An overnight soak in a bleach solution should kill any of these potentially damaging organisms. Add one cup of bleach to each gallon of water.

Taking the small amount of time necessary for these precautions can greatly reduce the challenges your young plants will face and, as a result, provide you with a longer season of colorful and healthy blooms!