Five soil saving tips for filling big pots

When we are all set to buy planters, we often make the mistake of buying a very big planter, which requires too much soil. You may realize this when you start planting that the large-sized pots may require a good amount of soil. This may pinch your pockets, and when you have to move the pot from one place to another, it would mean carrying a huge burden around. It can also be that the plant that you have chosen has small roots and an oversized pot can actually hinder their growth. The drainage of the soil can also be greatly affected. 

If you think there is no solution to this problem, then you are wrong. To put it briefly, there is no need to fill the pot completely with soil. In reality, most plants need only about 6to 8 inches of soil, and the remaining part of the pot can be filled with filler material. We list below a few ideas as to what you can use for the filler materials. Most of these are already there in your house, so you do not need to worry about buying them. 

1. Milk jugs - If you have milk jugs in the house that are of no use to you, you can use them as pot fillers. Clean them well so that no residue remains and tie them up before putting them at the bottom of the pot. Make sure that the drainage hole remains uncovered so as not to affect soil drainage.
2. Imperishable wastes - If you have soda cans, plastic bottles, rugged bath scrubs lying around in the house, you can use them as pot fillers. These are lightweight. All you have to do is clean them up, wrap them in a polythene bag and put it at the bottom of the pot. Before you add the layer of soil, you can put a weed-blocking cloth as an intermediary layer.
3. Styrofoam - When you order anything online, it comes with Styrofoam that protects the underlying object. This Styrofoam can be used as a filling layer in the pot. Make sure that the drainage hole is not covered.
4. Small pots - Another way to fill your large pots is by small containers or pots. Just arrange them one on top of another, bind them tightly with a rope or a plastic cover and put it in the planting pot.
5. Organic materials - Another good filling option for pots is organic material such as leaves, twigs, grass, coconut husk, etc. At the start, they make occupy more space in the pot, but with them, they slowly decompose, adding more fertility to the soil and making replanting easier. Just keep in mind that these materials do not contain too much water or are soggy as they can disturb the plant health. 

With the above-mentioned tips, you can still buy large pots online and not worry about buying huge quantities of soil anymore. So, bring out the big pots and get started with planting!