My balcony containers look fine in the morning and dramatically unhappy by late afternoon on hot days. The smaller pots can dry enough that the mix pulls away from the sides.
I have started grouping pots together and moving the thirstiest ones where they get morning sun but some afternoon shade. That has helped more than watering twice a day, which I was starting to dislike both for the plants and for me.
The containers are a mix of sizes, and the difference is obvious: the larger ones stay much more stable. Next season I am considering fewer, bigger pots rather than trying to keep a collection of small ones evenly watered.
I am also wondering about the potting mix. Mine drains very freely, which is great during wet weeks and maybe not ideal during the hottest part of summer. I do not want to swing all the way to a heavy mix that stays soggy.
For people gardening in hot conditions, was increasing pot size the biggest improvement, or did changing the mix/water-holding capacity matter just as much?
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For me the mix change was the bigger win, because my pots already had enough volume. A slightly more water-holding blend bought me a lot of...
For me the mix change was the bigger win, because my pots already had enough volume. A slightly more water-holding blend bought me a lot of time between waterings.
If your containers are truly small, though, I can see why size would be the first fix.
That’s fair. I think the answer changes a lot depending on whether the pot is barely big enough or already reasonably sized.
My worst summer failures were in undersized pots with a very airy mix. Those two things together were brutal.