If you want to use planter boxes for your next growing season, there are steps you can take to ensure both your plants and planter thrive. You can purchase separate liners from a home and garden store or an online marketplace. However, you can save some money by lining your planter box with a few simple steps. Find out how to line a planter box with our tips below!
Why Use a Planter Box?
There are many reasons to use a planter box for flowers, vegetables and other crops. They allow growers to utilise smaller spaces, protect against weeds and typically have better drainage. Some use the boxes to grow more crops when they don’t want to expand their in-ground garden.
You can prepare your planter box for the season in a few easy steps while protecting it for years to come. To ready your planter, complete the following four steps.
You first want to clean and waterproof your planter so it doesn’t rot or mould. Do this by mixing up hot soapy water and thoroughly spraying the surface. Use a gentle scrubber to work the mixture into the planter and let it air dry.
2. Waterproofing
Once your planter is clean and dry, you’ll need to waterproof it to ensure excess moisture doesn’t get into or out of the box. If you’re using wood, apply a plant-safe waterproofing solution to the surface and let it dry completely.
You will also need to provide drainage if the box doesn’t already have it. Drill some small holes and a few larger holes in the bottom of the planter to prevent water buildup from oversaturating your plants.
3. Line the Inside
You then need to line the planter with a plastic sheet. Staple the plastic to the planter’s sides and poke a few holes into the bottom to let the water drain. The liner shouldn’t go over the rim of the box but should be close to the top to line it properly.
4. Cover the Outside
To protect the outside of the planter, cover the outside of it with a screen or plastic, as long as drainage is possible. You should also fill in any gaps in the box with more wood or pieces of pottery. Once that’s done, place the planter on a study, flat surface and you’re ready for the growing season.
Using a Planter Box
Planter boxes are an excellent solution for creating or expanding a garden. By properly preparing them, you can ready your box to keep your crops thriving for several more seasons.
Rose Morrison is a home living writer with over five years experience writing in the industry. She is the managing editor ofRenovated.comand loves to cover home renovations and decor toinspire everyone to live theirbest DIY life. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find her baking something to satisfyher never-ending sweet tooth.
Plastic sheeting is the best material for lining a planter with. Pond liners work well for lining the bottom of planters as they are robust and can easily be shaped into the perfect size to fit the dimensions of your planter. Pond liners are also thick enough to reduce any evaporation of water from the soil.
When it comes to planter boxes, the choice of lining or not lining ultimately depends on your preferences and gardening goals. My personal preference based on experience is to not use a liner.
If you have small planters to fill, try lining their bases with old newspaper instead. The newspaper will allow excess water to drain freely away through the drainage holes, but prevent the compost from being flushed out.
- Pond liner or geotextile fabric provides excellent durability and helps prevent wood rot. - Measure the interior dimensions of your wooden planter and cut the pond liner or geotextile fabric to fit. - Place the liner inside the planter, ensuring it covers the bottom and sides completely.
Even simple, cheap materials can block weed growth from below your garden beds. You can simply lay them on the ground before setting your garden beds on top of them.
The bags are also not made for this purpose and are susceptible to UVA rays and will very quickly degrade. Taking in to account adverse weather this makes for an unsightly mess. Bin bags also easily rip if stepped on and this may allow weeds to push through any gaps once laid.
Large wooden planters can be very heavy. Consider using a lightweight fill material at the bottom if your plants won't take up the full space with their roots. Use a commercial potting mix, rather than ordinary garden soil, in your planter. Potting mix has the nutrients that your plants need.
The soil in a raised or elevated garden bed will lose or gain heat much more quickly than the soil in the ground. Having a liner in a raised garden bed provides a buffer or insulation, giving the soil protection against rapid changes in temperature.
You shouldn't put rocks at the bottom of a planter. If your pot doesn't feature a drainage hole, you can drill one, use the two-pot method, or add a layer of activated charcoal to the bottom.
However, because landfills are overfilled with non-biodegradable products, many Styrofoam packing products are now made to dissolve in time. It is not recommended to use Styrofoam peanuts for potted plants now, because they may break down in water and soil, leaving you with sunken-in containers.
You need to provide drainage for your plants, so it is advisable to line the base with bulky items such as stones or broken bricks. Use lightweight items such as recycled plastic bottles or containers. Plastic sheeting works well to protect the wood.
You can do weed barrier cloth or plain ol' burlap. For small containers and pots, you can even use coffee filters. Make sure to hold this layer in place as you fill your bed with soil. That way, your soil won't wash out the drain holes or the bottom of the bed every time you water or it rains.
Jojoba oil and Mineral Oil are both good choices for the mix. It is simple to mix and inexpensive. These mixture of both ingredients provide a beautiful finish that will display the natural beauty of the wood. Beeswax will protect the wood surface as it repels the water and dirt.
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