There are several issues to consider when choosing a garden planter. Start with the plants you wish too grow, planter box aesthetics, how the planter functions, and the cost value relationship.
In some difficult situations such as high winds where stability is paramount, or south and west facing locations with intense sun where there needs to be a air gap between the planter box and the liner to keep the root ball from overheating, you will have less options when choosing a garden planter.
When Choosing a garden planters function is as important as aesthetics. Self contained Cafe Planter such as these, with waterproof liners and advanced drainage, allow for cleaning underneath preventing pests and health code violations. The narrow design saves valuable space. Another option moveable planter boxes on casters.
Local Landscape Architects, landscape maintenance companies, or your local nurseries can give you good advice about plants and bedding material that will be appropriate to your micro environment.
Choosing a movable DeepStream commercial restaurant planter with glass screen wall provides a windbreaks, controlling access, quieting noise, expanding social distancing space while extending the outdoor season.
When choosing a garden planter remember your choices will affect the range of plants you can select from that will grow well as they will be determined by:
Soil volume and weight.
Planter liner depth, length, and width to match the plants you have selected so they grow well as they mature and will not require a lot of extra maintenance.
Differential height aluminum frame of these commercial wood planters creates a privacy screen wall and support an integrated trellis.
DeepStream Design engineered 3-component wooden planter systems have a Lifetime Structural Warranty while wood planters built with carpenter techniques will fall apart in 3-5 years.
Longevity is provided by a hidden structural aluminum frame mounted to proprietary trademark anodized aluminum legs, no paint or powder coating to fail, which are engineered to contain the woods countless wet and dry cycles over decades.
DeepStream Commercial Multi-Section planters are perfect for urban roof decks where its expensive to maintain and replace planters standard planters.
DeepStream’s system has a separate waterproof liner with advanced drainage to prevent contact between the wood and planting medium while also providing an air gap to prevent solar gain from overheating the root ball, the gap can also be used to hides drip irrigation lines and electrical conduit for lights.
No maintenance Restaurant Planters custom logo insert screen wall and liners with advanced drainage make great sidewalk cafe barriers. Lifetime structural warranty. No Paint or powder coating to fail so they may be pressure washed.
DeepStream’s Commercial Wood Planters with a Lifetime Structural Warranty are lightweight self-contained engineered system comprised of a wood planter box, structural aluminum frame, and waterproof planter liner with advanced drainage.
Follow this link to review the comparative attributes of the various planter types to consider when choosing a garden planter, including wood, fiberglass, concrete, metal, ceramic and plastic: https://planterblog.com
DeepStream’s Large square Commercial Planters made with recycled plastic lumber are strong enough to hold trees thanks to their hidden structural aluminum frames and plastic planter liners.
Functional considerations for choosing a garden planter and plants include:
What are the dimensions of the space you have for planter placement?
Do you need long planter runs or individual planters?
Will the planters be placed on the ground, or on a building level that has weight restrictions?
Will they be placed on a hard or soft surface?
Will they be in a sheltered or windy location? Stability is a function of form.
Will you be planting annuals or perennials? This will affect your choice of planting medium.
What is the planting volume (liner size) required for the plants to thrive?
Will the planters be located where they are easy to install and maintain, or will you be moving everything through lobbies and elevators where permission will be required and other residents inconvenienced by your installation and repeat installations should your planters need to be replaced in a few years?
DeepStream Wood Garden Planter with Trellis as a privacy screen
For assistance in choosing a garden planter, or answering these and any other questions you might have, feel free to call Sheila at DeepStream, 305 857 0466 and we will walk you through our 32 point check list designed to save you time and money or go to www.DeepStreamDesign.com
A rugged waterproof planter liner with properly designed tapered sides and a threaded drain hole for directed drainage attachments or a plug. When used indoors or on a balcony the liner sits inside a drip tray that will be hidden by the outer box. The drip tray is proportioned to catch overflow and evaporate it rather than stain decks or floors.
Long garden planters for restaurants in dark grey recycled plastic lumber creates a no-maintenance barrier wall to control access around a chic modern restaurant seating area. They may be sanitized with a pressure cleaner as there is no paint or powder coating to fail. Lifetime Structural Warranty.
Which ever planter you decide to go with take these considerations into account as they will greatly affect the success of your garden and gardening experience. More detailed information on the key aspect of successful container landscaping can be found on these additional subject pages:
DeepStream Design Commercial Planters, with a Lifetime Structural Warranty, will last decades whileCarpenter built planter construction will only last 3 to 5 years.
DeepStream’s Planters are a 3-part engineered system modular assembly of replaceable parts which incorporates DeepStream’s trademark marine anodized aluminum legs, tropical hardwood or maintenance free recycled plastic lumber panels, and sturdy aircraft aluminum frame that supports a food safe, 100% recycled LLDPE waterproof liner.
Don’t confuse these planters with carpenter built planters that will fall apart in 3 to 5 years.
DeepStream Designs engineered planter system has an internal aluminum frame to support the rugged waterproof liner, with advanced drainage solutions, allowing for a Lifetime Structural Warranty.
If you’re an owner or manager of a property where a wooden planter will be placed give serious consideration to planter construction techniques. Consider what it will mean in terms of cost and disruption to go back and replace or repair carpenter built planters, especially on rooftops and balconies, every 3 – 5 years.
The aluminum frame also allows you to add accessories like casters, screen wall, trellises, leveling feet and more.
DeepStream’s 3-component engineered commercial planter system with a hidden aluminum frame supporting a waterproof liner from trademark marine anodized legs.
With DeepStream’s wooden planter design all parts are replaceable making maintenance, refinishing, and repairs quick and easy.
DeepStream-7 year old unmaintained pre-refinished planter in place with liner removed
DeepStream 7 year old refinished planter back in place after sanding off .014″ and applying Ipe Oil.
Even stainless steel fasteners are galvanically isolated by using a proprietary dielectric paste so that they may be removed easily years later to replace parts or refinish the planter easily. the before and after pictures of the 7 year old planter shown in pictures above only had the original coat of factory waterproofing and no maintenance. The “fresh” look was achieved by sanding off just .014” of the 3/4″ thick planks exterior.
Why? Each plank of a wooden planter is cut from a different part of the tree, or even different trees. This means each plank has its own differential rate of expansion, splitting, and warping when wetted. This makes dimensional stability using standard wood-on-wood construction in two dimensions impossible to maintain over time, and shipbuilding techniques and maintenance are far too costly for planter construction.
DeepStream Ipe planks after 7 years. Unmaintained on left. .014″ sanded off and and oiled on right
Wood on wood planter construction uses carpentry techniques that fasten wood to wood, and planters tear themselves apart with the expansive forces that wood exerts through repeated wet and dry cycles.
Problems with carpenter built wood planters
For centuries, wood dowels have been inserted into holes drilled into rock, then soaked with water. The expansion force of the wood is thus harnessed to crack blocks off marble and granite for construction, even though the blocks are hundreds of times thicker than the thin wooden dowel. This is the same action at work on a carpenter built wood planter splinting seams apart.
Problems with carpenter built wood planters,
In addition, most wood planters lack adequate isolation from the soil and the deck or sidewalk, which promotes fresh water rot, water entering vertical planks creates cracks as you see above and below.
Problems with carpenter built wood plantersProblems with carpenter built wood planters, without proper liners the soil in contact with the wood creates rot.Problems with carpenter built wood planters, rotting from the bottom up.
Marine Anodized Aluminum Frame
DeepStream uses proprietary marine anodized legs and stainless steel fasteners to clamp the wood and direct the expansionary forces up the channel so that the wood can expand and contract at different rates without affecting the planter’s structural integrity. Anodizing means there is no paint or powder coating to fail.
DeepStream Design’s proprietary marine anodized extruded aluminum legs are engineered to support a hidden structural aluminum frame which supports the waterproof liner and HDPE feet to isolate the planter from contact with soil and the ground.
Unless directed to do so by a customer, DeepStream never uses paint or powder coating, which will fail in 3-5 years. If you order environmentally friendly maintenance free recycled plastic lumber they may be cleaned with a pressure washer.
Virtually blemish free 7 year old proprietary marine anodized aluminum leg after simply wiping down with mineral spirits
DeepStream proprietary trademark Mariner T marine anodized aluminum extrusions are used to join 2 modular planters to create cost effective long planters of any length.
Cost effective Long Rooftop Planters feature Simple Slide-in-Easy assembly and rugged planter liners
Planter Box: Wood or Recycled Lumber
Large Wooden Planter: comparing real wood to recycled plastic lumber
Recycled Plastic Lumber 5 color samples of premium wood grain Recycled Plastic Lumber, so real you have to touch it to tell its not wood plus black and white smooth, planks. 50 year warranty, low maintenance and pressure cleanable for sanitation and to remove graffiti.
Planter Liners with Advanced Drainage
DeepStream’s commercial grade rigid plastic liners, stock or custom welded to the exact size you need, mounted on an independent aluminum frame, contain the soil and prevent contact between the soil and the wood, preventing rot.
Lightweight wood planters need liners to prevent them from rotting. Here you see 16 stock sizes of rugged waterproof, food safe, plastic planter liners with advanced drainage Custom welded planter liners are available in any size.
DeepStream’s tapered liner with advanced drainage and the components of the 3-part drain pad with Bio-Barrier to prevent root blockage
Commercial grade recycled plastic liners with drain well and threaded outlet
This waterproof liner inside the planter box design means that the roots never overhead as while single wall pots and planters like aluminum and fiberglass can reach 130 degrees on an 80 degree clear day, our loners never get warmer than air temperature allowing your plants to flourish. Advanced drainage means they wont drown in heavy rains.
Measuring Thermal gain by taking the temperature on the outside of a planter on a sunny 80 degree day. With DeepStream’s liner-within-a-planter-box design the roots never get warmer than the air temperature.
Thermal gain is indicated by a reading of 125 degrees fahrenheit for the outside of a planter on a sunny 80 degree day. For a single wall planter or pot this means that the roots will be negatively impacted.
The waterproof planter liner with advanced drainage is an important feature of DeepStream’s commercial planter system. Container grown bushes, small trees, and perennials require repotting from time to time and DeepStream’s liners tapered shape allow for easy replanting and conditioning in the spring.
Container gardening requires a few simple repotting supplies.
Planter Drainage starts with Planter Linersand efficient drainage.
Planter Liners
Water in, water out. Simple, right? However more plants die from lack of planter drainage than under watering and it’s an expensive, time-consuming, waste of time to deal with poorly draining planters that ultimately have to be dug up and remedied.
#1: Choose the right planter liner shape and material to add additional drainage for your environment.
#2: Efficient drainage should have drains at the right height on the side wall. not the bottom.
#4: Choose the right planting medium to avoid “fines” and clay.
#5: It is important to slow the speed of water flow towards the drain to allow “fines” to drop out, not clog filter.
#6: DeepStream Designs advanced drainage solution incorporates liner design including drain placement and 3-layer drain pads.
#7: Extend the length of time between re-potting your plants by using proper drainage to avoid “root-Rot” caused by over watering and drying out by underwatering.
Planter drainage is often the weakest link in the delicate balance of nature required to maintain planters and container gardens. This article on planter drainage will present the simple physics, costs, and benefits of advanced drainage system alternatives you should know before installing plants in planters.
If your interested in where drainage falls into the larger overall consideration of planter design and construction click here for details on Planter Selection. The solution ultimately comes down to the design of the waterproof planter liner, or container, design, drain placement, and blockage.
For those of you who have not had the benefit of walking the trade show floor at a Landscape Architect conference, or who did so without this aspect in mind, I will introduce a “high-tech alternatives” that I am incorporating as options into planters I design for DeepStream Designs. Click: for printed instructions on drainage.
DeepStream Wood Garden Planter with a Trellis acting as privacy screen wall has a tapered waterproof inner liner with advanced drainage that allow the plant to flourish and flower. The liner provides separation between the wood and the soil, not only extending the life of the planter by decades, it also keeps the the roots from steaming by the “solar gain” which heats the roots ball.
The Drainage Problem
As a Developer and Property Manager I had to deal with planter drainage problems in large built-in concrete planters, and properties with lots of medium-sized stand-alone planters. I can tell you that it is an expensive, time-consuming, and demoralizing task to deal with poorly draining planters that ultimately have to be dug up and remedied.
As prevalent a role as solar gain-induced thermal shock to root systems plays in stunting or killing container-grown plants, the lack of efficient planter drainage is a far more common reason for failure, at least in rainy climates. Water-soaked roots from a lack of proper planter drainage can kill a plant in less than 24 hours, whereas baking and steaming roots in a single-wall planter or pot can take weeks, or even months, before the plant finally succumbs.
Here in Florida, storms can dump 6″ of rain in just a few hours, so it is easy to overwhelm a poor planter drainage system, and you can literally see containers overflow the top. However, long periods of drizzle and gray sky, conditions found on the west coast, combine low evaporation with soaking soil which also subtly builds up fatal water levels in containers without an effective drainage system.
Drain size and blockage
The primary reason for water build up is a malfunctioning watering system, combined with a drain clogged by dirt or roots, NOT too small a drain.
Given that a planter filled with nothing but water 6″ deep will drain at the rate of about a cubic foot per minute through a 3/4″ opening, no amount of rain alone will overwhelm a properly functioning planter drain. Single-point drains of this size are convenient to use for inconspicuous controlled planter drainage systems on balconies, rooftops, and courtyard patios. The key to making this work over the long-term is technology and design.
DeepStream rugged waterproof planter liners with advanced drainage and threaded ports are made with 100% recycled food safe LLDPE plastic. Their tapered shape aids replanting and economical shipping.
Issues with built in planters drainage
If you have read the Blog article on Planter Selection and Design, or looked in-depth at the DeepStream Designs’ website planter section, you may remember that the reason I ended up designing free-standing planters was to avoid the structural problems associated with built-in planters: waterproofed planters built into buildings with poured concrete will at some point succumb to settlement cracks, as well as drainage issues. Even the best sprayed, rolled, or troweled-on concrete liner systems I have seen will leak at some point in time, and digging in them doesn’t help.
So if you have plans for specimen plants, or are planting trees that will grow too large for workers to lift by hand, make sure you have crane access to lift the trees, or some way to get forklifts or other types of equipment like tripods in to lift the plants out of the planter for repairs, or to bring in new ones should major plants die.
Avoid building or buying planters or liners with drains in the bottom where you will have to remove large plants to get at them. Install a vertical 2″ PVC pipe up to the final soil level, with a removable top to keep soil out, before filling the planter with soil so that you can pump water out in an emergency before the plants drown.
Solutions
Proper planter drainage is the element that the container industry is least likely to talk about, because it is relatively complex and is not readily “packaged” for sale. Making potential customers of larger pots and containers aware of drainage issues is seen as a negative sell, so it is brushed off with instructions to “Drill a couple of more holes in your pots.” This is an area in which DeepStream can bring great added-value to its customers.
With that said, the advice to drill more holes falls into the “Just because they said it doesn’t make it not true” department. It is, in fact, the most cost-effective approach for smaller, easily re-potted plantings that you can lift out, in pots which slope evenly outward as the pot wall moves towards the top. This simple classic form facilitates the removal of the plant to clean out blocked drainage holes without damaging either the pot or the plant. Essentially, you are pre-planning for blockage by increasing the size of drains that will be clogged.
Free standing planter drainage
When considering free-standing planters, and larger planter liners hidden behind a decorative facade, keep them small enough to work on. Break the planted area up using multiple overlapped liners, rather than one big liner with one point of failure and lots of plants to remove to find the problem, or to die in the event of a catastrophe.
A large installation of Custom Welded Waterproof Planter Liners on a roof top are compartmentalized to isolate drainage problems. Drip irrigation lines are inserted through the top of liner walls below soil level.
It is not just the cost of the plants to consider, but also the considerable disruption and effort to find and remedy the problem. There is also the mess to clean up, especially on rooftops in urban areas, and the potential for cosmetic damage to the building by workers during the process.
Soil Mixture
Soil mixture is a critical consideration, both for the plant and the building weight limits, as we often find on rooftop and balcony projects. You are looking for soils that will hold nutrients, PH, and moisture within fairly specific ranges that best suit what is being planted, while at the lowest possible weight. Very seldom is “dirt” just dumped into a container.
This soil selection process, done right, eliminates much of the problem caused by “fines”, the small clay-like particles that block filter membranes. Use perlite to increase drainage rates in wet climates or it’s opposite, vermiculite, to retain water in dry climates, under balconies or indoors.
Another drainage consideration is filtration and root blockage. A planter is really just a shaped French drain. Small particles of clay (fines) are carried by the gravity-induced water flow downward towards the drain. Unfiltered, these fines will block any filter membrane in a remarkably short time. The standard way to create a rough filter well area is to fill the bottom of a planter or pot with a few inches of gravel over a bottom drain.
A Modern Planter hand made from cumaru wood to custom specification by American craftsmen, shown unplanted with a waterproof planter liner inserted inside that his held by a hidden structural aluminum frame. Behind this front Modern Planter is a larger Modern Planter hand crafted from natural slate that holds a trellis that acts as a privacy screen blocking the view of air conditioning equipment behind it.
These square wooden restaurant planters show how a separate waterproof liner, supported by a hidden structural aluminum frame, prevents soil from contacting the wood and the sun from heating the root ball. It’s hard to overemphasis the separate waterproof liners importance to DeepStream’s uniquely engineered 3-component planter systems adaptability and longevity.
One key design factor of DeepStream planters is that they uses a liner within a decorative facade. This not only prevents solar gain, but also hides drip irrigation lines and the drain. This is important in aiding filtration because the drain does not need to be limited to the bottom of a pot as it will quickly clog.
Drain Location
When considering drainage for large planters, and which planter forms to purchase, the first step is drain location: Realize:YOU WILL HAVE TO DIG UP OR REPOT YOUR PLANTERS SOMETIME!
Yes, that’s the dirty secret. It is inevitable. The question is: how long can you go between major events. Even though drainage issues can often be fixed with the plants in place if the planter liner is properly designed with a taper form wider at the top, as DeepStream’s are, it is much more convenient to avoid them, and less costly over the long run as well.
DeepStream’s liners locate the standard 3/4″ drain a couple of inches up the sidewall creating a “well” below the drain. Fines tend to settle down into this “well”, as water flowing towards the sidewall drain tends to be very slow under most circumstances, so most fines gradually work their way to the bottom. The well also acts as a small water reservoir for the larger roots.
Advanced drainage solution
DeepStream’s advanced drainage system includes a 4″ by 6″ drain board (think of a thin, uncrushable egg crate covered with geo-textile covering) to increase the drainage surface area. The drain board comes hot-glued over the drain. When adding the plants to the planter, be sure not to compress this drainboard against the side of the planter wall with a force or a hard root ball, or it will act as a perfect seal against the drain and stop all water flow. Additionally, there is a roughly 2 sq ft piece of weed block fabric to be folded over and placed over the drain board as further protection against penetration by roots.
DeepStream Designs creates an advanced 3-layer drain pad out of drain board, filter fabric, and Biobarrier for you so all you have to do to maximize drainage is to place the pad over the DeepStream linner sidewall drain port and hold in place with the appropriate material to slow the flow of water to the drain.
Solve planter drainage problems before they start. DeepStream Designs commercial grade recycled plastic liners with drain well and threaded 3/4″ NPT outlet for adding hose fitting if required.
Weed Block, as geo-textile is often marketed, is a misnomer. The “30-year commercial landscaper” variety you see at the large home centers will have roots growing through it in less than 2 years. That said, it still helps delay the inevitable, and DeepStream still provides it with the standard drainage kit.
It is highly recommended that the geo-textile fabric is kept in place by the very important filter of at least a 2″ thick covering of very clean, very coarse sand of between 1 and 2 mm particle size. For reference, the wire of a medium paper clip is 1 mm. While very coarse sand is hard to find, it is the best filter, although it does nothing to block root penetration. Masonry or playground sand is too fine and will compact and prevent drainage; pea gravel lets too many fines through, and they will block the filter fabric.
One good and available material, though not perfect, is Paver Base and Pearlite found at Home Depot. Most of the grains in Paver Base are large enough, but it still has a lot of fines in it but it keeps the Perlite in place well when potting. The well in DeepStream’s commercial grade planters is plenty deep to handle this without clogging the drain.
While not ideal, paver base is available nationwide at a large home store and is a reasonable planter drainage material to slow the water flow given that DeepStream Designs planter liners have a sump below the drain to catch the “fines”
Technology Enhanced Filtration: Two Steps
The most important aspect of new drainage technology is in preventing root blockage. DeepStream now offers an optional root control fabric, BioBarrier (TM) with a plastic-embedded non-systemic herbicide, with a lower toxicity than table salt or aspirin, that creates a 2″ thick root deflection zone around the drainage material by preventing root cell tip division. The product, guaranteed effective for 15 years, has been used as a weed control system for more than 35 years in agriculture to prevent weed growth between row crops. Now, with proper filtration, one should be able to go 15 years without digging up a planter, usually a job performed every 2-3 years in heavy rainfall areas.
3 part planter liner drain pad with drain board, geo fabric, and Bio-Barrier.
Giant sports stadiums and golf courses, with millions of dollars at stake if drainage fail use high-tech crush-proof mats of plastic tubing covered with geo-textile to ensure a large drainage area and directed water flow to prevent damage to grass and delays in play caused by flooding.
DeepStream now offers this same advantage in its single-point directed flow system uniquely adapted for balconies, roof gardens, interior courtyards and other areas where drainage control is required. This is lighter, more effective, and allows for deeper planter medium than less effective gravel systems.
Selecting planter liners with the features your project requires will save you time, money, and effort. DeepStream Designs makes the best.
DeepStream’s rugged waterproof recycled LLDPE food safe plastic liners tapered design, with advanced drainage, makes them easy plant and economical to ship.
Major considerations when selecting planter liners are the shape of the planter, the material the liner is constructed with, the location of drain(s), and size relative to your landscaping requirements.
Selecting stock planter liners with a shape tapering to a smaller base makes for repotting slip-out easy and if they stack then you save money shipping.
Rugged commercial grade 3/16″ walls from UV-stable, 100% pre-consumer recycled low-density polyethylene, or polypropylene are both flexible and food-safe, they will last decades in the sun and unburden landfills as they are recyclable materials.
Side wall, not bottom drain, aids drainage. Is the drain threaded for proper drainage systems accessories if required by your locations.
There is a water reservoir below the drain for the tap root while providing a place for “fines” or clay to settle to prevent drain blockage.
Liner depth is determined by the requirement of the plants you have selected.
DeepStream Landscape Architect grade stock planter liners have advanced drainage, incredible strength, are easy to replant, and economical to ship.
DeepStream’s tapered liner with advanced drainage and the components of the 3-part drain pad with Bio-Barrier to prevent root blockage
An important consideration to successful landscaping in planters is starting with the right soil mixture and drainage for your plants.
You want your container to drain well while retaining moisture but not hold water. Do not use “dirt” or any material with clay which will block drains. Perlite is a good light weight additive if your trying to improve quick drainage, Vermiculite if your trying to retain moisture. Very course sand, like commercially available “paver base” if you need weight to prevent toppling in high winds but not fine “beach” or “mortar” sand as they will immediately block your drains. Remember many plants have specific soil PH needs.
Geo-textile fabric and drain board to provide filtration and space over drain.
BioBarrier (TM) with a plastic-embedded non-systemic herbicide, with a lower toxicity than table salt or aspirin, that creates a 2″ thick root deflection zone around the drainage material by preventing root cell tip division. The product, guaranteed effective for 15 years, has been used as a weed control system for more than 35 years in agriculture to prevent weed growth between row crops. Drainage pads are placed over the drain hole.
To prevent clogging you need to slow the water so that the fines in the planting medium settle to the bottom and not onto the filter medium. When selecting planter liners pick one with sidewall drainage, not on the bottom. This is an integral part of the drainage system as it allows the “fines” to settle to the bottom below the sidewall drain. Traditional pea gravel is too large and the water will flow rapidly to the drain and clog it with fines. Fine sand will flow too slow and form an impenetrable layer clogging with fines. There is no need to put rocks or gravel in the bottom of a plastic pot, it only raises the water table.
It is best to use a 2 to 4 inch thick covering of very clean, very coarse sand of between 1 and 2 mm particle size mounded over the drain filter. For reference, the wire of a medium paper clip is 1 mm. We have had good results here in Florida with “rubber mulch”, but then we can get 6″ of rain in one day.
Paver Base or similar mediums slow water flow improving planter drainage
“Paver Base” is an acceptable readily available alternative from most large home improvement stores and will work in our planter liners with a side drain as the well below it provides a place for fines to settle. Rubber mulch may also work for you.
A Modern Planter hand made from cumaru wood to custom specification by American craftsmen, shown unplanted with a waterproof planter liner inserted inside that his held by a hidden structural aluminum frame. Behind this front Modern Planter is a larger Modern Planter hand crafted from natural slate that holds a trellis that acts as a privacy screen blocking the view of air conditioning equipment behind it.
These square wooden restaurant planters show how a separate waterproof liner, supported by a hidden structural aluminum frame, prevents soil from contacting the wood and the sun from heating the root ball. It’s hard to overemphasis the separate waterproof liners importance to DeepStream’s uniquely engineered 3-component planter systems adaptability and longevity.
Do you need extra large or custom planter liners and drip trays for your simple to extremely complex designs? 1 or 100, we are the national sources relied on by landscape architects, landscape contractors, and homeowners for over 15 years.
DeepStream doesn’t use distributors so it is easy to turn your installation challenges into solutions quickly with one phone call at factory-direct prices. Stronger and more waterproof than fiberglass planter liners our custom planter liners and drip trays are constructed of food grade polypropylene, LLDPE or HDPE plastic.
Direct Links to helpful tips and information on planter liners, irrigation, and drainage for planters and container gardening:
Rooftop Planters with rugged planter liners featuring advanced drainage.
Engineered as stand alone commercial planters or cost effective long planters. Slide-in-easy assembly reduces installation labor costs and weatherproof materials eliminate costly replacement and disruption.
DeepStreams rooftop planters are perfect for roof decks, balconies, courtyards, restaurant, or anywhere where you want set and forget durability. Save yourself the effort and disruption of replacing lesser planters every few years. These roof top planters, with rugged liners and advanced drainage options, eliminate the damage of uncontrolled roots damage, leaking, cracked, and blocked rooftop drains.
DeepStream’s Commercial Wood Planters with a Lifetime Structural Warranty are lightweight self-contained engineered system comprised of a wood planter box, structural aluminum frame, and waterproof planter liner with advanced drainage.
For Commercial Roof Top Planters that nurture your plants, while they stand the test of time, choose DeepStream’s planters. These planters are perfect for roof tops, are backed by a Lifetime Structural Warranty, and providing the lowest cost of ownership, and hassel, for you and the environment.
42 inch high tall commercial wood planters, in maintenance free recycled plastic lumber, feature caster wheels for mobility allowing privacy between massage tables on the pool terrace of a Waikiki waterfront hotel.DeepStream Commercial Wood Planter in Recycled Plastic Lumber create a farm to table roof top garden at Boston’s Fenway Park Strega Deck
DeepStream’s Rooftop Planters can anchor screen wall without roof penetrations.
Mariner Planters anchor glass and wood screen walls, without penetrating the existing roof membrane, to create a convenient roof deck dog park atop a historic warehouse converted to a residential community.
Commercial or residential, if you have innovative plans that go beyond simple Rooftop Planters, DeepStream’s Roof Deck Planters have a sturdy marine anodized aluminum frame that can support screen walls for privacy and enclosures for safety or even create a roof top planter supported dog park.
Large multi-section prefabricated modular commercial wood planters with their aluminum frame anchor screen wall, without penetrating there roof, to create a dog park on an urban apartment roof deck.
Roofdeck Restaurants use Rooftop Planters to delineate space, create space, hide equipment, and block wind without penetrating the roof.
Lightweight Mariner Commercial Planter Anchored Screen Wall adds natural colorful privacy to roof decks without requiring problematic roof membrane penetration.DeepStream’s Mariner Commercial modular wood planters anchors a privacy screen wall and separate dining areas on an urban restaurant roof deck. Lifetime Structural Warranty.
Planter Liners
Our Planters have a rugged waterproof inner liner so the root ball is never in contact with the outer wall meaning less water, lower chances of steaming roots. The with advanced drainage system means lower chance of drowning your plants, even with heavy rain.
A Modern Planter hand made from cumaru wood to custom specification by American craftsmen, shown unplanted with a waterproof planter liner inserted inside that his held by a hidden structural aluminum frame.
It hard to overemphasis the separate waterproof liners importance to DeepStream’s uniquely engineered 3-component planter systems adaptability and longevity.
Owners and Project Managers appreciate DeepStream’s cost effective Long Rooftop Planters which feature Simple Slide-in-Easy assembly and rugged planter liners. Unlimited in total length, Rooftop planters incorporate cost effective stock planter liners.
DeepStream proprietary trademark Mariner T marine anodized aluminum extrusions are used to join 2 modular planters to create cost effective long planters of any length. Planks slid in between finished section for rapid assembly with a #3 screwdriver.
Cost effective 800′ long lightweight Rooftop Planters with liners and drip irrigation create a landscaped parapet wall in midtown Manhattan
measuring planter solar gain 130 degree skin temperature on a sunny 80 degree day
Building managers love that the DeepStream’s liner within a outer box Rooftop Planters system provides space for labor saving drip irrigation system and lights. Liners controlling drainage, protecting roof membrane and pavers from root damage, while preventing roof drain blockage.
Large modular prefabricated custom commercial wood planters on a roof terrace of a commercial building in Boston create outdoor dining and lounging spaces for tenants.
Modular custom commercial wood planters on a roof terrace of a commercial building in Boston create an outdoor dining space for tenants.
DeepStream’s Mariner Lightweight Multi-Section Commercial Rooftop Planters house rugged recycled plastic waterproof liners with advanced drainage and drip irrigation, supported on the hidden structural aluminum frame. A highly stable design for windy roof decks like this one in Chicago.
DeepStream Wood Rooftop Garden Planter with Trellis as a privacy screen
Modular multi-section commercial rooftop planters, in maintenance free recycled plastic lumber, create a lounging area at a Florida resort clubhouse roof deck.
DeepStream Designs creates an advanced 3-layer drain pad out of drain board, filter fabric, and Biobarrier for you so all you have to do to maximize drainage is to place the pad over the DeepStream linner sidewall drain port and hold in place with the appropriate material to slow the flow of water to the drain.
It hard to overemphasis the separate waterproof liners importance to DeepStream’s uniquely engineered 3-component planter systems adaptability and longevity. Without a planter liner aggressive roots can damage roof membranes and pavers.
A key component of sustainable garden planter design is adaptability: good design allows for the replacement, or reworking, of components to preserve the value and materials of an earlier design when a situation requires it. Even if that situation arises early in the life cycle of a design.
Nowhere is the need for the design adaptability aspect of sustainable garden planter design more apparent than when an error has been made on large complex projects. Simple miscalculation between initial measurements and “as-built” dimension means that components ordered months earlier in a project do not fit when finally installed.
You can see in the example of sustainable garden planter design adaptability below, exactly how DeepStream’s modular planter design allowed us to cut down the lengths of planks in the middle section of a multi-section planter to accommodate an unrecorded change in dimensions at very little cost in dollars, labor, or materials.
While the wood will take a week or so to fade to the match the color or the original wood, the same design feature allows for replacement of parts, or further adaptation, for the decades long life of the planter.
Ooops! Sustainable Garden Planter Design allows for low cost corrections
Was it an error on the plans or an installation variance? It won’t matter who was to blame when the adaptability of DeepStreams sustainable garden planter design makes it quick and easy to make even major changes. DeepStream is American craftsmen hand building custom planters that reduce your stress and allow for a successful project to come in on budget and on time.
Sustainable Garden Planter Design modular rectangular wood planters joined by a new infill section
As an experienced condo developer and GC, we designed our products to make it easy for you to specify our sustainable garden planter designs. Just call Sheila at (305) 857-0466 and enjoy a successful stress free out of your garden planter, screen wall, or custom fixtures. As the hands-on president of Deepstream, with thousands of product installations, Sheila and her team are a vast wealth of current industry knowledge and resources.
Sustainable Garden Planter Design: rugged waterproof liner inside wooden planter box contained by trademark aluminum legs
All of DeepStream’s sustainable garden planter designs use a rugged waterproof plastic liner inside of the planter box, resting on marine anodized aluminum frames and legs, to ensure that planters last for decades. There is no paint or powder coating to fail.
Unlike carpenter built planters DeepStream planters carry a Lifetime Structural Warranty and all parts are replaceable and available at factory cost under DeepStream’s unique “Core Replacement Program”.
This type of liner inside of a wooden planter box, sustainable garden planter design also prevents solar gain from overheating the planter root ball which affects any single wall planter or pot. This design also creates a space to run drip irrigation lines and directed drainage.
measuring solar gain on the exterior of a planter
To find out more about how the principal of Sustainable Garden Planter Design can work to make your project stress-free and successful go to www.DeepStreamDesign.com
DeepStream Design’s rugged plastic planter liners make spring conditioning easy.
Perennial plants grown in planter liners have special needs. With spring here in Miami, I’ve noticed that it’s well past time to repot some of my smaller ornamental plants. Others plants like Clusia have very aggressive roots and liners need to be removed and roots trimmed every year.
Tools Needed:
You need to remove plants from their planter liners periodically to alleviate their root bound condition. This give you the opportunity to add fresh potting medium. You will also check that the liner is draining efficiently. DeepStream Designs rugged plastic liner is flared making this a easy with just a few tools: A long serrated knife, perhaps scissors, a tarp, a broom, and dust pan. Cut off the bottom third of the root system, then break up the root ball as much as possible.
Container Gardening Root Bound
Drainage:
I’m using rubber mulch this year in my drainage plan for ornamentals, but not in my herb or citrus garden planters. because it is lighter than pebbles or gravel used in traditional drainage plans. This makes it ideal to reduce the load on your balcony or rooftop if you don’t need the weight of gravel to keep your pots from tipping in high winds.
I use rubber mulch to fill the bottom of my pots and liners up to the level above the top of my drain, about 3”-4”, after I put in DeepStream’s drain pads (drain board, Bio-Barrier to prevent root blockage, and geo-fabric sandwich) in place over the drain hole and cover that with 4” of Paver Base (very coarse 2mm sand) or even rubber mulch in a pinch as I did this year.
Planting Medium
Your potting medium will depend on your climate and your plants, as well as the type of drainage and watering system you’re using. We use drip irrigation and mist sprayers on timers. In Miami where we can get 6″ of rain in 6 hours I use a fast-draining medium to which I add perlite and paver base to further increase drainage rates. You tailor your soil in dry climates by adding vermiculite to retain moisture .
Container gardening requires a few simple repotting supplies. Don’t forget a tarp, broom, and dust pan.
Watering:
I installed micro valves on every planter liner so that I can adjust the rate of watering for each planter liner. Reduce the flow to the point that water does not seep out the drain except when it rains.
Click on the picture to go to DripWorks website to order all the parts you need to install drip irrigation. It’s a very informative and complete website, cost competitive, and their system are plug and play easy to install.
Automatic Drip Irrigation Manifold with Rain Sensor and 4 active zones.
Repotting large plants:
With the Clusia the the steps are almost identical.
Lay the planter over on a padded surface and slide the liner out.
Remove roots growing over the sides of the planter liner if the liner won’t slide out
The planter, planter liner, and planter drainage design all play an important role in planting maintenance and root trimming.
A bulging planter liner indicates it’s time for root pruning, it’s roots like these Calusia that have torn apart large pre-columbian temples in Central and South America.
Removed the plant from the liner to trim the the larger roots easily, The tapered shape of DeepStream liners makes it easy to simply slide the root ball from the liner to trim and replant.
Paver Base, rubber mulch, or similar mediums slow water flow, improving planter drainage by allowing “fines” that can clog the drain to settled below the side drain.
Before repotting add a DeepStream’s 3 part-part planter drain pad with Bio-Barrier over the drain holes to aid in root blocking and to retain the planting medium and slow the flow of the water towards of the drain.
DeepStream Designs creates an advanced 3-layer drain pad out of drain board, filter fabric, and Biobarrier for you so all you have to do to maximize drainage is to place the pad over the DeepStream linner sidewall drain port and hold in place with the appropriate material to slow the flow of water to the drain.
Hold the drain pad in place over the hole, fabric side against the hole, with paver base or similar coarse medium, never sand, with out any clay in it. You can even use rubber mulch in a pinch.
Planter Liner after root trimmed
With all the roots trimmed for the year your plant and planter liner shape should be restored for another year.
Selecting tapered planter liners with the drainage features your project requires will save you time, money, and effort. Read more specifics about Selecting-planter-liners and here is a video link showing how quick easy it can be to replant.
Lightweight, cost-effective, long garden planters by DeepStream Designs are specified by Landscape Architects to integrate green roof and balcony landscaping into new construction and existing historic projects with strict weight load limits.
Using lightweight planters reduces the weight of structural components allowing for more plants and planting medium.
The engineered structural integrity of DeepStream’s 3-component commercial planter system is backed by a Lifetime Structural Warranty and will last for decades. The marine anodized finish on the proprietary aluminum legs keep them looking great. There is no paint or powder coating to fail.
800 feet of DeepStream Designs lightweight modular multi-section planter system, shown on a roof deck in midtown Manhattan, made with maintenance free recycled plastic lumber
More than a planter, DeepStream’s Commercial Planters are a complete 3-part engineered system. Proprietary anodized aluminum legs are engineered to contain the wooden planter box as it expands and contracts through endless wet and dry cycles. The legs support a hidden aluminum frame that allows for hidden drip integration systems and drainage while holding the waterproof liner with advanced drainage options.
Fiberglass planters are easily cracked and painted or powder coated Aluminum Planters finishes soon fail and are easy to dent.
Fiberglass planters are brittle, corners and middle section are the first to go. the top flange is what stiffens them and once they crack it leads to catastrophic failure. this is why even the best fiberglass planters only have a 3 year warranty.
800 feet of DeepStream Designs lightweight modular multi-section planter system, shown on a roof deck in midtown Manhattan, is made with maintenance free recycled plastic lumber
Marine anodized aluminum legs and aircraft aluminum frame backed by a Lifetime Structural Warranty assembles in just 15 minutes per section with all tool included.
DeepStream Commercial Multi-Section planters are perfect for urban roof decks where its expensive to maintain and replace planters standard planters.
A lightweight structural aluminum system for long planters allows for long straight runs of unlimited length while accommodating right-angle corners.
These garden planters with a structural aluminum frame have optional gates, trellises, privacy screen walls, parapet railings, large panels, or any combinations of features.
DeepStream Designs garden gate mounted on two recycled plastic lumber Mariner planters
Lightweight Mariner Commercial Planter Anchored Screen Walls adds natural colorful privacy to roof decks without requiring problematic roof membrane penetration.
Designed with modern architectural lines, these modular lightweight planters are available in standard 21”, 31” & 42” heights, with economical custom options available.
Engineered to last for decades, DeepStream’s lightweight garden planter systems use separate rugged waterproof plastic liners and filter packs that prevent drain blockage.
Lightweight wood planters need liners. Here you see 16 stock sizes of rugged waterproof, food safe, plastic planter liners with advanced drainage Custom welded planter liners are available in any size.
DeepStream Designs creates an advanced 3-layer drain pad out of drain board, filter fabric, and Biobarrier for you so all you have to do to maximize drainage is to place the pad over the DeepStream linner sidewall drain port and hold in place with the appropriate material to slow the flow of water to the drain.
The liner-within-a-planter design not only provides a crucial thermal break to prevent root ball stress, but they also facilitate hiding irrigation, modern advanced drainage, and lighting infrastructure.
The tapered design of DeepStream’s stock liners not only provides critical irrigation, they make it easy to replant, or trim root, as part of a spring conditioning that will allow plants to flourish for years.
DeepStream Design’s multi-section lightweight wooden planters reduce roof loading and do not require roof membrane penetrations
DeepStream Designs lightweight wood multi-section planter and plastic liner detail. Liners contain the soil, provide optimal drainage, hide drip irrigation, electrical, and directed drainage systems.
DeepStream’s lightweight multi-Section Modular Planters are an engineered planter system with proprietary marine anodized legs forming a wood planter box that hides an internal structural aluminum frame that supports a waterproof planter liner with advanced drainage and drip irrigation. Lifetime Structural Warranty.
DeepStream’s Commercial Wood Planters with a Lifetime Structural Warranty are lightweight self-contained engineered system comprised of a wood planter box, structural aluminum frame, and waterproof planter liner with advanced drainage.
Planters are quickly assembled on site, 10-15 minutes per section, even by inexperienced sub-contractors using just a screwdriver. Landscape contractors can pre-plant liners to speed installation while reducing labor, cartage, and clean-up.
DeepStream Designs lightweight multi-section garden planter aluminum frame detail. Proprietary T-Legs allow for cost saving planter runs of unlimited length
The speed and neatness of the DeepStream planter system is especially important for your customers in high rise urban condominiums where approval by condo boards must be obtained before projects can begin.
No cranes and street closing permits are necessary as the modular design and packaging allow these lightweight planters to be brought up elevators or even carried up stairs by day laborers.
DeepStream Designs lightweight wood multi-section planter and plastic liner detail
Each project has custom assembly instructions using keyed versions of your drawings and photos of your actual planters taken during test assembly at our manufacturing facility.
DeepStream Designs lightweight wood multi-section planter with plastic liner and Lifetime structural warranty
When placed up against walls non-visible planks can be left off the back to save both weight and expense.
DeepStream’s long food safe plastic Planters are perfect for urban roof decks where it’s expensive to maintain and replace planters standard planters. HDPE is UV resistant, requires no maintenance, and last for decades. The aluminum frame has a Lifetime Structural Warranty.
Your project is custom manufactured to your exact needs, erected, labeled, disassembled, bundled, and crated to allow for cost-effective delivery to even the hardest to reach construction sites.
With thousands of installations, and planters of every type, DeepStream is ready to be your planter expert. Call Sheila at (305) 857-0466 for more information and a 32 point checklist to ensure that your project is successfully completed ontime, on budget, and without stress.
