You just got your first home, apartment or condo.  And you are excited!!!  You want to bring some potted plants inside to help decorate and add a living touch to the décor and you want some larger pots on the patio or porch to add color, texture and a homey touch.

Hate to burst your excitement but one thing to consider is the possibilities of bugs or disease that you may have to deal with.  All living plants when potted in soil have the potential to have issues.

The key here is knowledge.  Once you learn about the plants you want to pot and the potential of bugs you can deal with problems before they get out of hand.  Here are a few tips:

Choose plants that are resistant to common pests.  Read the label on the plants.

Try to grow healthy plants.  Know the water, sunlight and fertilizer needs.  All potted plants need these.

Keep the garden containers clean and dirt free.  Keep the plants dust free with a damp cloth and gentle hand.

When necessary pick the individual type of pesticides.  Or find natural ones you can make yourself.

Try to water on the potting soil directly and not on the plants leaves.  Make sure the pottery is draining properly.

If you can follow these few simple steps, your potted containers should be lovely, healthy and bug free.

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Well neither do your potted plants.  These garden containers are at your mercy when it comes to getting enough water to drink. You get to decide if they in need of clean water or if it’s time to back off so that the roots are not being drowned in too much water.

If these same plants were growing in the ground instead of in a flowerpot they would not need as much care.  But all potted plants need your attention.  Being inattentive will only cause sickness but death of these living plants and nobody wants that.

There are many things to consider when deciding how much or little to water a potted plant.  The location and how much sun it will get, what type of plants or flowers are potted.  Is the weather hot or rainy or cold and winter.  Is your planter deep or shallow, are the plants roots short like cacti or long and evasive like herbs.

If after reading the tag on the plant when you purchased it you still need help. Consider purchasing a water meter.  You simply stick the metal skewer into the potted plants soil and the meter tells you everything you need to know.

Don’t ever think you can ignore your potted containers.  They will need your attention whether the pottery is located inside or outside.