Several weeks ago I attended a garden seminar. One of the speakers was reported to be an expert on container gardening. I was amazed at how little we agreed.

So get ready for two opinions about container gardening. He advocated a soil mix of half topsoil and half of a high peat soil-less mix. I use a finely ground soil-less mix with a lot of bark.

My mix will dry quicker than his will. I am sure that his mix was intended to need less watering. Ceramic or cement pots are much more porous and breathe more so they will tolerate a heavier mix than will the common plastic pots that are available.

All my pots are plastic and work well with a lighter mix that dries more quickly. I might not have the same success with ceramic or cement pots.

He also uses the water absorbing crystals. He cautions to mix them in the soil before adding water. Apparently they swell vigorously when water is applied. As you can judge from the last sentence, I never use them.

Most soil-less potting mixes start out life already treated with a wetting agent. My only concession here is to add a wetting agent as we roll into mid summer. This can be accomplished with a purchased wetting agent or you can make your own.

My wife says liquid Ivory or Joy dishwashing soap are ideal candidates to make a wetting agent. Add a few drops while you are watering. I re-wet my soil about monthly, starting in July.

We did agree that the container is best if it is packed with plants. I doubt that you can overcrowd them and besides if you lose a plant or two you will still have plenty left.

One point to remember is that plants in a container will need more fertilizer than plants in the ground. Adding a bit every three or four waterings should be enough. Maybe a bit more for anything in the petunia family.

I guess that the bottom line is that he was designing a lower maintenance container for a droughty year. I am always guarding against over watering and a rainy season like last summer. Most container problems I see are caused by over watering.

The easiest way to judge a container's water needs is the weight test. Lift the pot just after watering and it should be relatively heavy. Don't water it again until it feels considerably lighter in weight.

There are two theories. Take your pick. It would be a lot easier if we knew what type of summer we will have. For me I know how to water plants. I'm still trying to figure out how to un-water them when they are too wet.