Boost Your Blooms: 3 Simple Upgrades For A Better Flower Show

By: Ashleigh Smith for True Leaf Market

Spring is here, and gardeners everywhere are looking for bigger, brighter blooms. But those impressive floral displays require more than good seeds or healthy starts. They rely on using the right soil mix, container choice, and plant food to produce a real show-stopping floral display. The truth is, you can achieve the same success with a few simple upgrades to set your flowers up for greater success.

Build a Better Foundation: Improve Soil Moisture & Performance

If your plants have required a timely watering schedule just to endure the summer temperatures, your soil may need an upgrade. Watering frequency and quantity are some of the most common frustrations among experienced and beginner gardeners, but it doesn’t have to be that way. If you live in a region with hot summer temperatures or your soil drains too quickly, consider adding Retain for improved water retention.

Retain is a soil additive made of lava rock, clay, cross-linked polyacrylate, and silicates that work by slowly absorbing up to 40 times its weight in water, which can then be slowly released as needed to your soil and plant roots. The slow rate of absorption and release is key to growing larger, healthier, and more performative flowers, as it increases the amount of time before your plants start to suffer the effects of heat stress and drought between watering.

In side-by-side trials, hanging baskets planted with Max Water Retention Soil Mix, including Retain, produced more vigorous growth, more abundant blooms, and stayed hydrated for days longer than those planted in traditional potting soil before showing signs of wilt or heat stress. For stronger blooms, make your water count this season by improving your soil's water retention, nutrient delivery, and overall performance.

Maximize Your Display: Choose Show-Stopping Containers

Aside from the soil you are growing in, container choice can have the next greatest effect on how great your floral show can be. Many containers are either too small or limit the total growable space to just the container's diameter. Bloom Master is changing the game by increasing the growable surface to the sides of hanging baskets and planter boxes. You may be asking yourself how this is possible. By planting into openings just big enough for standard plugs, you can take advantage of the container’s full volume, rather than being limited to the upper portion. As the roots develop, they access soil that is often left beyond the root range when plants are planted only at the top of a container.

To really make a splash, consider using an assortment of containers that can be hung, strapped, or placed in high-traffic areas for maximum enjoyment. Fabric planters are another great option that allows for air-pruning to reduce root circling and prevent waterlogged roots, common problems with containers that lack proper drainage.

Feed for Blooms: Give Your Plants What They Need to Perform

Once you have your soil and container choice nailed down, consider your feeding schedule. Just like people, plants also require proper nutrients to thrive. All plants require a balance between nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrients. The amount of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) in a fertilizer is displayed as N-P-K. The higher the number, the greater the amount of that nutrient there is. To give your plants a healthy start, try adding Organic Growth Plant Food when transplanting or when seedlings have 2-3 sets of true leaves.

Foliage development is highly reliant on nitrogen, requiring more in the early stages of growth. Once the plant has put on the bulk of its growth, you will want to back off on nitrogen-rich amendments and supply greater access to phosphorus and potassium for the fruit and flower stages of development. Prime2Bud Booster is great for the early development as buds are just forming. As your flowers enter the blooming phase, consider using Budcharge to increase the density of your floral show.

A Simple System for Bigger, Better Blooms

Improving your floral display doesn’t have to require a ton of effort or expensive gimmicks. When your soil retains moisture, your containers maximize growing space, and your plants receive the right nutrients at the right time, everything works together to support stronger growth and more abundant blooms.

By making a few intentional upgrades now, you can reduce plant stress, simplify your watering routine, and enjoy fuller, longer-lasting color throughout the season. Set your garden up for success this spring, and you’ll find yourself receiving compliment after compliment on your great gardening skills.

About the Author:

Ashleigh Smith is the Managing Editor at True Leaf Market with a bachelor's degree in Horticulture from Brigham Young University - Idaho. True Leaf Market is a nationally certified organic, non-GMO seed and horticultural company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The True Leaf Market staff specializes in supplying a large selection of conventional, heirloom, and organic seeds to home gardeners everywhere. Learn more about our seeds, supplies, and other growing ideas: www.trueleafmarket.com.

All articles are copyrighted and remain the property of the author.

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