How to Install Coco Mat in Odd Shaped Pots

I purchased these two wrought iron pedestal urns from a seller on eBay.  I knew that if I wanted to plant them with flowers, rather than fill them with large rocks, I would need to install a coco mat liner before I added soil and flowers.

There are not any ready made coco mats for urns that are this shape.  Actually, you can barely find round coco mats that correctly fit hanging baskets. I ended up buying the coco mat that I used, from my local garden shop.  I purchased 8 linear feet at $3.99 a foot and is 36 or 42 inches wide. 

 I ultimately lined these two urns, 2 very large hanging baskets, and 1 regular sized hanging basket, and still had a little left over.

First I eyeballed the length that I would need to do one urn and cut that length.  Use heavy duty scissors and not your best sewing scissors for this task.  I rolled the mat up and let it soak in a bucket of water for about 5 minutes and then flipped over the roll to soak the other end.  This step made the coco mat more pliable and less itchy to install.

I took the rolled up coco mat and placed it in the urn. I lined up the edge of the mat to the top of the urn and held it in place with a squeeze clamp.  I worked my way around the urn and overlapped the mat about 4 to 6 inches at the end.  I then started tidying up the bottom so that it formed a nice curve and didn't stick out between the iron pieces.

Look for coco mat that is sticking out before adding your soil to the pot or hanging basket.  You want a nice curve like how the coco mat is on each side of the protruding mat section.

The clerk at the garden shop suggested I put a piece of plastic in the bottom before adding dirt.  She said that it prolongs the life of the coco mat and also keeps the water in the soil for a longer period of time so that the plant has time to soak up the water before it drains out.  I chose the remnants of the bag that our lunch came in that day.  Big John's Steak and Cheese subs....delish.

The next step was adding a good potting soil.  I added about 4 inches and then tamped it down with my closed hand until it wouldn't compact anymore.  I repeated this until I was about 6 inches from the top.  At that point I unpotted the three large dark red geraniums and placed them in the urn.  I then filled in the voids with more potting soil and finished off with a good watering and removed the clamps. 

I was very pleased with how neat and tidy the mat looks in the wrought iron urns.  Getting the mat wet before installing and then using squeeze clamps to hold the mat in place were the tricks that made this coco mat install a success.

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