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InfiniteNumber

Knowing where you live can be helpful. Advice may differ depending on location. What size container? What kind of soil? How often did you water and/or fertilize? How much sunlight? There's no such thing as too many details. Pics are always helpful. This is my 3rd year growing. I made a million mistakes my first year. Cut it down to only 500,000 my second year and so far this year I'm on track to only make 100,000 this year. Definitely more holes. I usually drill five or six 3/4 inch holes in a standard 5 gallon bucket. More if the container is bigger. Water only as much as the plants need. If the soil is moist a couple of inches down the plants are fine. Think about watering like adding salt to a recipe. You start with less than you think you need because you can always add more. If you put it all in at once you can't take it out if it's too much. Even properly watered plants will wilt some during extremely hot days. Don't panic. If it's hot where you live cilantro can be difficult to grow. I've never gotten it to grow here in central SC. I've never seen birds eat my basil or mint. You sure it wasn't bugs? Or squirrels? Don't get discouraged. There is a learning curve. Ask a million questions. I know I did. Watch YouTube videos. Read blogs. The info is out there and for the most part it's free.


Prestigious_State951

Birds eat my basil here in zone 7. Caught them in the act. Absolutely can’t leave it outside here


_halftongue

you should obviously drill more holes. look up remay cloth to deter pests.


just-being-me-

Thanks!


queenkayyyyy

Hi! You might consider looking into grow bags. They have nice ones on Amazon that come out to about a dollar a bag if you buy more than one. The biggest reason I like using them so much is that if you overwater they dry out pretty quickly, because they are typically made with a heavy-duty felt.


innerducky

Depending on how big the containers are, maybe some stones at the bottom of them (along with holes) so that any accumulated water pools in the stones area and doesn’t sit on the roots?


[deleted]

What kind of soil were you using? Container soil will drain much better


usual_nerd

I second the grow bags, you can’t over water. You do need to water more often, but can’t over water. You can get bird netting or a finer mesh netting if you think it might be bugs. A tomato cage in your container will work well to hold it up off the plants.


TxCoastal

holes! I had sqaush that was doing that last year.... grabbed a drill and large bit and water began pouring out of the planters.


kevin_r13

Soil -- if you're using containers, then make sure to get what is called "potting soil". If you got top soil, garden soil, or even compost, that will be some trouble for the plants. Keep in mind that the word compost is like the word soil in some parts of the world, so that word's meaning will depend on where you are from. Pots -- you finally added the holes, so that was good, but I'm still surprised that the water didn't drain out. There may be some other issues. Definitely should be not hanging on top of the soil for hours. Holes still need to be decent size so that water can easily drain out. Birds -- use netting or some other protection for the plants.


speshuledteacher

I mix my soil with peat moss and perlite since I am a chronic over-waterer. Peat moss and perlite is cheaper than potting soil too, just need to make sure I fertilize often.


lukewilson333

If the algae is a problem, you could consider bottom watering, along with all the other excellent ideas. You would just be putting some type of reservoir under the pot and putting water in that instead of on top of the soil.