Container Gardening Archives

Choosing Garden Planters

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.

Large Sidewalk Cafe Planter as barriers. — 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.

Large Rectangular Wood Restaurant Patio Planter with glass screen wall windbreak. — 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.
Sun exposure.
Watering requirements.
Drainage.

Waterproof planter liners are important for several reasons:

Plant health.
Properly designed liners improve drainage, prevent root blockage, and direct water flow.
Insulate the roots from “steaming” by providing a thermal break air gap which is especially important with metal or fiberglass planters.
Reduce costs by increasing planter longevity, isolating damp soil from the planters inner walls.

Top Money Saving Tip:

Chose a planter that comes with a with a stock molded liner size first, otherwise you may find yourself limited to more expensive custom-welded liners.

Differential height aluminum frame of these commercial wood planters creates a privacy screen wall and support an integrated trellis with colorful flowers. Click for more info — 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.

Example: DeepStream Designs lightweight complete modular multi-section planter system with maintenance free recycled plastic lumber, installs quickly, reduces maintenance labor saving and lasts for 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.

Another consideration should not be just the initial cost of the planter, you should consider the lifetime cost of the planter in terms of maintenance, replacement, and plant health. DeepStream’s planters have been designed and constructed using the principles of Sustainable Design to provide the lowest cost of ownership to both the customer and the environment over time.

DeepStream's Large Lightweight Wood Planter System — 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 Wood Planters for Trees use maintenance free recycled plastic lumber inside thier aluminum frames: click for more info — 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?
How will you water your plants, by hand or drip irrigation?
Drainage: what happens when they drain or overflow? If they are used outdoors, the size quantity and placement of drainage holes depend on heaviest rainfall amounts in your area. Indoors or on a balcony your planters may require plugs in liner drains, “directed” drainage, or drip trays.
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?
Will you want to add accessories like a trellis, windbreak, or casters?
Are sustainability, replacement parts, and a Warranty important to you?
Delivery time.
Longevity, Warranty length and conditions.

Large Rectangular Commercial Wood Planters. — Large Rectangular Wood Planter

DeepStream Wood Garden Planter with Trellis. — 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

Click for more information on planter liners and drip trays — 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.

Example of long modern commercial restaurant planters. Click for DeepStream Restaurant planters website. — 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:

Irrigation for container gardens

Planter Drainage

“Dirt” vs Planting Mix

Fiberglass Planters

Harlie Commercial Fiberglass Planters, designed by by Luxbox Design built by Tournesol.

Fiberglass Planters offer a variety of designs and are a cost-effective medium-term solution available in a large variety of shapes, sizes, and colors.

Click for a link to DeepStream's Desktop Website for more info on Fiberglass Urban-Tall Garden Planters — Landscape Architect-quality Fiberglass planters distributed by DeepStream

If you need a rugged planter to which you can attach accessories, then DeepStream’s own wood and recycled plastic lumber planters, created using the principles of sustainable design, may be a better solution than fiberglass planters.

More durable than other planters, but more limited in form, DeepStream’s commercial wood and aluminum planters deliver excellent value for money. With a Lifetime Structural Warranty, they reduce the overall effort and time that goes into bringing vibrant gardens to barren urban spaces in need of their beneficial cooling and air quality enhancing properties.

Click for a link to DeepStream's Desktop Website more info on Fiberglass Wilshire Garden Planters — Landscape Architect-quality Fiberglass planters distributed by DeepStream

However, if you need more options in terms of form and style, three of the best alternatives to wooden garden planters are Fiberglass-reinforced Plastic (FRP), Glass-fiber-reinforced Concrete (GFRC), and Aluminum.

It is important to understand that products manufactured with these materials run the scale from virtually worthless to the quality that Landscape Architects specify for signature projects.

Village GFRC Planters in Aged Bronze — Round Village GFRC Planters, shown in Aged Bronze, are also available in square shapes.

There are a lot of considerations that go into choosing the right planter for a particular location including: form, root ball heating, and drainage, as well as the inherent limitations of materials and construction methods. You will find a detailed discussion of the issues with a lot of supporting pictures in my earlier blog entry, Planter Selection, so I’ll not repeat them here.

Fiberglass is an excellent lightweight material with which to create interesting modern planter forms and surfaces such as an outer gelcoat infused with metal, which oxidizes over time, a favorite of mine for its understated elegance. You will find a myriad of forms and sizes available on the DeepStream website, and while there are four metal finishes, my favorites are the copper and bronze.

Craftsman FRP Planters with bronze metal-infused finish — Landscape Architect-quality FRP garden planters distributed by DeepStream

Tournesol planters distributed by DeepStream are made with expensive polyester-based fiberglass strands as used in yacht construction, but it is chopped and sprayed, not laid up in biaxial mats, where the hull has constant exposure to water. This Fiberglass-reinforced Plastic (FRP) is sprayed into molds that have been prepared with gel-coat.

Modern round fiberglass garden planter - Aquarian — Landscape Architect-quality fiberglass garden planter distributed by DeepStream

FRP is a lightweight, strong material made up of layers of polyester resin alternated with glass strand. The strength and durability of fiberglass depend upon the number of layers of resin and glass. To ensure the longevity of the planters, they are waterproofed with an additional layer of black gelcoat resin inside.

The large rectangular commercial-grade movable Fiberglass Planters in the photos below were supplied by DeepStream to the restaurant operator at New York’s Rockefeller Center. The planters rest on caster bases so that they may be rearranged to meet the operator‘s changing needs. At summer’s end, they are simply rolled away to storage to reopen the famous ice skating rink during the winter season.

Click for a link to DeepStream's Desktop Website and more info on large movable fiberglass planters on casters — Rockefeller Center: large movable fiberglass planters on casters provided by DeepStream Designs

Rockefeller Center: large movable fiberglass planters on casters provided by DeepStream Designs

For more information about Landscape Architect-grade planters, click here

Issues with Fiberglass Planters

Fiberglass planters are lightweight and strong for their weight and thickness, but they are rigid and brittle. While the fiberglass planters we sell have a 3-year warranty, a 1-year warranty is more common.

Although the planters shown in the pictures below ARE NOT the fiberglass planters we sell, you need to be aware that all fiberglass planters are brittle, unlike wood or aluminum. Looking closely, you can see the vertical cracks that are developing over the edge in the center of this planter’s stiffening flange as the roots push out. Once the flange goes it leads to a catastrophic splitting failure, as the flange is responsible for structural strength.

Fiberglass planters are brittle. Without looking closely, you can't see the vertical cracks that are developing. — Fiberglass planters are brittle. Without looking closely, you can’t see the vertical cracks that are developing that will lead to total planter failure in just a short time.

Fiberglass planters are brittle. Corners and the middle section are the first to crack. — Fiberglass planters are brittle. Corners and the middle section are the first to go. The top flange is what stiffens the planter walls, and once they crack, it leads to catastrophic failure. This is why even the best fiberglass planters have just a 3-year warranty.

When roots push out against the side walls, first the flange cracks, then the long side panels spit vertically. While it is possible to prevent this in construction, it is costly. Currently most of these “me too” planter manufacturers are competing on price, with Indian and Chinese imports skimping on materials.

Fiberglass planters with vertical crack failure. — Fiberglass planters are brittle. Looking closely, you can see the vertical cracks that are developing over the edge as the roots push out which will lead to a catastrophic failure. This is why even the best fiberglass planters have just a 3-year warranty.

Most fiberglass planters are light at the expense of strength and may not be durable enough for certain location. This is why even the best manufacturers provide just a 3-year warranty.

In addition, fiberglass planters are almost all single-walled and prone to solar gain. White or light-colored finishes would be better in sunny locations. They do not have drainage control, nor do they hide drip irrigation lines.

The large expensive planters shown below are installed in Miami’s downtown area and, while shaded by buildings, they are not really rugged enough for the streetscapes in which they are installed, nor do they have much surface area. Believe it or not, these planters are just 1/8″ thick painted skins of chopped fiberglass sprayed into a mold.

Fiberglass planters are thin, and prone to damage like this large hole. — Fiberglass planters are thin, lightweight and strong, but are brittle and prone to damage

While most "me too" planters are lightweight at the expense of strength, they may not be durable enough for certain locations. Currently most fiberglass planter manufacturers are competing on price, with Indian and Chinese imports skimping on materials. — This one passes the 6-foot test, but look closely. While these planters are lightweight at the expense of strength, they may not be durable enough for certain locations. Currently most of these “me too” planter manufacturers are competing on price, with Indian and Chinese imports skimping on materials.

Holes and cracks in Fiberglass planters. They are brittle and easily damaged,. They can be split by roots. — Holes and Cracks in fiberglass planters. Light and relatively inexpensive planters are brittle and easily damaged, and can be split by roots, even when not damaged like the planter above.

Wooden Planter Design

DeepStream Design Commercial Planters, with a Lifetime Structural Warranty, will last decades while Carpenter built planter construction will only last 3 to 5 years.

DeepStream's Commercial Wood Planters have a hidden aluminum frame

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.

Click to see more info on DeepStream's 3-component engineered commercial planter system with a hidden aluminum frame supporting a waterproof liner from trademark marine anodized legs. — 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.

Tropical Hardwood properly maintained will last for decades in DeepStream's aluminum frame while recycled plastic lumber will be maintenance free — 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.

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.

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 extrusion used to join 2 modular planters to create long planters. — 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.

DeepStream's cost effective, quick and easy, multi-section planter assembly. — 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. Click to see more about recycled plastic lumber planters — Large Wooden Planter: comparing real wood to recycled plastic lumber

For even lower maintenance cost and greater longevity consider ordering DeepStream’s recycled plastic lumber planters and do your part to save the World’s tropical hardwood rain forests.

Recycled Plastic Lumber 5 color samples of premium woodgrain Recycled Plastic Lumber plus black and white smooth, planks — 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.

16 sizes of rugged waterproof stock planter liners and custom welded liners to any size: click the picture for more information — 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.

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.

A woman is ussing a thermal gun to measure Thermal gain by taking the temperature on the outside of large planters filled with palms and flowering vines on a sunny penthouse rooftop deck in tropical Miami. — 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.

The temperature reading on a thermal gun shows a reading of 125 degrees fahrenheit for the outside of a planter on a sunny 80 degree day. — 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 sp ring.

container gardening repotting supplies — Container gardening requires a few simple repotting supplies.

Selecting Planter Liners

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: click for detailed info and prices. — 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 stock planter liner hanging by 3 straps show the strength of these Landscape Architect Grade liners. — 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: click for drain pad details — 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 covered in a green vine with bright red flowers that acts as a privacy screen blocking the view of air conditioning equipment behind it on a tropical roof deck. — 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.

Top view of a DeepStream Waterproof Liner inside Wood Planter with a hidden aluminum frame. — 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.

Custom Welded Liners

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:

Planter Drainage: Modern Solutions

Irrigation is Critical for Container Gardening

Spring Conditioning Planter Liners

Rooftop Planters

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.

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 casters for mobility allowing privacy between massage tables on the pool terrace of a Waikiki waterfront hotel. — 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 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.

Click this picture to see more information on DeepStream's website about screen wall and dog park enclosures — 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. Click for info — 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.

Commercial Planter Anchored Screen Wall and Enclosures — Lightweight Mariner Commercial Planter Anchored Screen Wall adds natural colorful privacy to roof decks without requiring problematic roof membrane penetration.

Mariner Commercial modular wood planters anchors a privacy screen wall: click for more information on screen walls — 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.

Rooftop Planters create a landscaped parapet wall in midtown Manhattan — 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 custom commercial wood planters on a roof terrace of a commercial building in Boston create outdoor dining and lounging spaces for tenants. click for info — 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. Click for info — Modular custom commercial wood planters on a roof terrace of a commercial building in Boston create an outdoor dining space for tenants.

Click for more detailed info on DeepStream's lightweight multi-section Commercial Wood Planters, with rugged recycled plastic waterproof liners, designed for roof decks and balconies. — 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.

Modular multi section commercial wood planters, in maintenance free recycled plastic lumber, create a lounging area at a Florida resort clubhouse. Click for Info. — 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 advanced 3-layer drain pad created with drain board, filter fabric, and Biobarrier — 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.

Sustainable Garden Planter Design: Adaptability

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.

sustainable garden planter design modular rectangular wood planters — 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.

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 waterproof plastic planter liner inside wooden planter box — 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.

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

Spring Conditioning Planter Liners

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.

Remove the bottom third of the root ball — 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 .

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. Click pic to link to DripWorks website for more information. — Automatic Drip Irrigation Manifold with Rain Sensor and 4 active zones.

Repotting large plants:

With the Clusia the the steps are almost identical.

accessing the planter liner for spring conditioning — 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. — 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 — 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.

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.

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.

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.

https://youtu.be/LmbWaoLXZK4

7 Quick and easy tips on how to plant a planter liner so it drains properly .wmv (https://youtu.be/LmbWaoLXZK4)

Happy gardening! Tom