Cutting down VineWeavol Hidy Holes.

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Hi all It’s me again. I suppose most of you have suffered like me with the dreaded VW. in pots. One way I have used, and used again since I have started gardeing again is a very simple and I think has been effective way.
Usually just before filling pots we put drainage bits in the pot. This is were I do something different, All I do is to put a small piece of paper over the holes. No need to be precise or neat, just plop it in. Even if I am doing loads of potting up I do the same to every pot. Now the reason I do this is to keep the compost in the pot, and not get washed out when watering . This keeps the bottom of the pot without any hiding plaices for the adults to hide. It doesn’t make the pots waterlogged because the paper lets water through, either way,out at the bottom or in at the bottom if watering by standing pots in water.
The roots will still grow through the paper, making it even more difficult for the adult V.W. to hide. I’m sure I have not lost a plant because of only useing paper for drainage. Here’s some photo’s to show what I mean. you will notice that the paper has vertually rotted and the roots are completely flat like the bottom of the pot and without any hidy holes.

I thought I’d show you another little thing I do on this last photo. The top of the pots are covered with something called hortag (i think thats how you spell it) This is a different brand than I used before. The one I used In the past sank in water and was great to put in pond baskets as a growing medium for pond plants. With this brand when I used it and lowered it into the pond , to my horrer it floated back to the surface. What a cleanup job that was. Any way some time passed , and this was just stored out of the way. The few potted plants that I had at the time looked messy, when the tops of pots got green with moss. Then I had one of those idea momments What if I covered the top of the pot with hortag.That pot and plant have been together for at least 3years and there is now sign of moss. This is because every time it has been watered the hortag rises and falls with the water.It repositions itself every time. If I watered this pot now the hortag would spread all over the pot. I do the same with the hortag that sinks and the green moss grows as usuall and the pots look messy,Because the compost comes through the hortag, because it doesn’t move when watered.
Hope this has been useful to someone. Frank

• 21 Oct, 2009
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