Cleaning Your Outdoor Planter

Proper care for your garden planters has many benefits.  Your plants will be healthier and protected from bacterial, fungal, or insect pressures.  Your outdoor planter will look good and last longer. 

Garden planters are made from many different materials now:  from terra cotta to clay, from resin to concrete.  Be sure to understand the material from which your patio planter is made before you start cleaning your planter.

Follow our tips for cleaning your decorative planters:

MATERIALS:

    Understand the material from which your outdoor planter is made.  This will help determine the type of cleaning chemicals you can use.

        *   Concrete - water, bleach, and a scrub brush to get into the pores

        *   Fiberglass - use water, mild soap, and a scrub brush with soft bristles

        *   Terra-cotta - water, mild soap, or bleach and a soft brush

ARRANGEMENT:

    Your outdoor pots should be arranged so that you can clean or sweep around them.  This allows for better air circulation, eliminating some moisture and bacterial accumulation.  

    Place your outdoor planters on pot feet so that you will get adequate drainage and air circulation.  It will be easier to sweep dead leaves or other debris from around the base.

STORAGE:

    In the off-season, your vegetable planters should be stored upside down to prevent accumulation of debris that could harbor disease or insects that are harmful.  This would be true for flower planters as well.  

    Some perennial plants are brought indoors in their patio planters.  Keep them near a window so they can continue to get plenty of UV light in the shorter winter days.