How To Fill A Wooden Planter Box

Wooden planter boxes are beautiful sights when adorned by a colorful flower or plant. But getting the box filled with soil can be a challenge. This is especially of more concern when it is a large wooden planters box. It can be costly and stressful to fill the planter box with soil.

To ease the stress and cost of filling your planter box with soil alone, read this article. The wooden planter box can be filled with various materials before adding the soil. The filler materials can be filled halfway before topping it up with soil.

Here are some suggestions for filler materials.

Filler Materials For Wooden Planter Box

The filler materials must not decompose during the growing season. This will allow the potting soil to sit well and be stable. Decomposing materials will lead to a shift in the soil level as the decomposition proceeds. This may harm the plant roots and cause growth obstructions.

Remember the root space of your plant and the size of the planter box must be considered. Once you decide that your plant won’t be needed the luxury of space offered by your container, then you can fill with:

1. Used Containers

Household containers like water bottles, empty cans, and soda bottles can be used as fillers. Ensure to keep the cap of the bottles on to keep them sturdy. The cans can be crushed if you have many them to fill about half of the box. You may want to use a layer of covering, maybe cheesecloth, on the containers before adding the soil.

This covering will ensure that you don’t waste your potting soil to fill the spaces between the bottles.

2. Broken Rocks Or Gravel

Rubbles are also another good option to fill your planter box before adding soil. They are heavier and sturdier than most other materials. They are suitable for the drainage of the soil and make the filling compact. Chunks of concrete can also be used. Another brilliant way to enhance drainage while giving your planters weight is to use small rocks.

To keep objects from spilling out of your planters, you can plug the drainage holes with small stones. Additionally, you can layer them in large planters to fill in any empty space and enhance drainage.

3. Wood Chips

Around your home or raised garden, you might find a variety of useful natural materials. For seasonal planters who repot frequently, pine cones, wood chips, leaves, and sticks can all be used. This option is best for a short period of use. This is because the wood chips will rot with time.

It is good for plants that last within a year before you may need to change the potting soil. For a longer planting season, the wood chips may decompose and lead to depression of the topping soil.

4. Styrofoam Peanuts

This is a great option to use as filler for your planter box. But you should first check if your Styrofoam peanuts will shrink or dissolve in water. Place a few of the peanuts in water and observe.

Once they are good, fill your box to about half, depending on your plant’s height and root space. You can put the Styrofoam peanuts in a plastic bag if they are in small pieces. You should also cover the foam layer with a fine wire gauze before pouring the soil.

5. Broken Potteries And Crockeries

For installations that will last longer, heavy materials will also work. These are a few choices for heavy pot fillers, for whatever purpose. There are severla alternatives to heavy pot fillers are available to choose from. Broken ceramics, pots, plates, and other materials can be used to fill your wooden planter box.

The materials must be arranged in a way to allow for proper drainage. They can be broken into finer pieces to set well at the base of the box.

For A Large Wooden Planter Box

When dealing with a large planter box, a couple of the above fillers are the options. You can utilized heavier fillers like gravel and broken rocks in the case of a narrow-based planter box. This will help keep the balance of the box when the plant starts to grow.

To ensure the planter box is not too heavy, you can use bulky but light fillers. Used bottles, crushed cans, or more lightweight Styrofoam peanuts, are among the examples.

Are you not considering moving your box?

Then heavier fillers like gravel and concrete pieces are amonth the options that you can use.

Tips On Filling Your Wooden Planter Box

To have the best ground to prepare for your plant to grow, you must get your planter box ready.

Take the following steps to fill your planter box.

• Ensure to make draining holes at the base of your wooden planter box if there a none already.
• Decide the best filler material for you and fill your planter box about one-third to half full.
• You can use gravel or pebbles to cover your filler’s top, depending on which one you used. You can also use cheesecloth or fine gauze to cover the filler layer to avoid the potting soil filling the free spaces.
• Fill the remaining portion of your wooden planter box with the potting soil for your plant.
• Wet the soil to make sure it sets well on the filler material. Then you are ready for your plant or flower planting.

It is vital to fill your planter box with good potting soil for good plant growth. Garden soil is not a good option as it may have depleted nutrients and humus. Purchasing good topsoil should not be that costly since the fillers have reduced the space.

To ensure proper drainage, you can combine potting soil with a substance like pumice or perlite and is sterile, free of weed seeds and disease. Fill the the planter box about 1 inch under the rim. Watering can be done with the extra inch of space.

Filling Is Chilling

You can save More time, money, and energy if you fill your wooden planter box well. If you have a large planter box, you may have to use several bags of soil. But with the right filler materials in, then you can save some soil for another box.

Filling your planter box can be a chilling activity if you get the order right. Do not waste your time and money filling the whole box with potting soil. Decide if your plant does not need all the space for its root. Fill us the extra space with fillers like used soda bottles and cans, broken potteries, Styrofoam peanuts, or gravels.

This is when your planter box filling becomes chilling.