Plant Care & Gardening Tips@ HortChat.com©

Hanging Basket care

Filed under: — kris @ 3:13 pm


Hanging Basket care

Many of us buy beautiful, floriferous hanging baskets at nurseries or even box stores. They look great for a few weeks and then start to slowly fade; no longer looking like the one we bought a month ago. Here are few hints to keep that hanging basket looking good all summer long.

hanging bskt super petunia

Keep in mind that growers fertilize the baskets every time they water. This helps maintain healthy, vigorous growth. A grower from Countryside nursery recommended a fertilizing once a week with a formula of 24-12-17 with micro nutrients such as iron, copper, manganese satisfies the heavy feeding requirements for hanging baskets. There are some specially formulated fertilizers available for container growing on the market. It is the fertilizer that will sustain and maintain the plant in a vigorous growing state. A research study in Michigan State compared 3 flowering baskets: one with soluble fertilizer, one with a time-release fertilizer incorporated into the soil and the one with both soluble and time-release fertilizer. The third basket with both soluble and time-release fertilizer preformed the best.

Fertilizer is not the only important factor. Watering is just as important. Most of us find that by the time we get home from work, our poor basket is drooping from the heat of the day and lack of water. So we immediately get the watering can and pour lots of water on the plant to rehydrate it. This practice causes lots of stress to the plant. In addition, leaving soaking wet roots overnight (when its cooler) can invite root rot and other diseases. Judicial watering(just enough to revive the plant) in the evening and good drainage is a must. It is best to water in the morning using a wand or watering can and pouring water directly onto the soil avoiding wet leaves. When feeding your plants, water first with unfertilized water and drain; then re-water with a fertilizer solution. This will keep soluble salt accumulation to a minimum and avoid fertilizer burn to the roots. A moisture retaining polymer can also be added to the soil to keep your plant hydrated longer.

Check the label for sun exposure- hang your plant in the right spot - too much sun can be as bad as not enough. If you basket shows signs of scorching, brown edges and faded or bleached leaves if may be getting too much sun. Spindly, leggy plants with lack of flowers can indicate not enough sun. Plants facing west in the summer will require more water and need to tolerate hotter temperatures.

Hopefully, some of these suggestions will reward with summer long blossoms.

Tell a Friend or Foe about this 'Hanging Basket care article'
Bookmark this thread on Hanging Basket care
previous post: Growing Peppers
next post: Gerbera Daisy

14 Comments on Hanging Basket care»

  1. I am a fairly new gardner and I am looking for the name of a tree that I keep seing. I would like one for my yard. It has pink fuzzy looking flowers all over the top of it. It’s beautiful, please help!

    Two species come to mind: 1. Calliandra (Powderpuff Tree)9-12 Its a large family of evergreen shrubs and small trees. 2. Callistemon (Bottlebrush) zone 9-11 also a large shrub and small tree. Check with your local nursery as to what variety is available and how hardy it is in your area.

    Comment by Yvonne — 5/31/2005 @ 7:46 am

  2. I HEARD DISH DETERGENT AND WATER MIXED WOULD HELP CONTROL INSECTS FROM EATING THE LEAVES,WILL IT?

    It can help with certain insects like aphids, spider mites and whitefly but not eliminate them. You’ll have to be dilligent (once a week) about washing (spraying) your plants.

    Comment by LARRY PEOPLES — 6/7/2005 @ 5:29 am

  3. I have hanging baskets that were once beautiful, but are now looking horrible. I have watered faithfully and fertilized. It appears that the plants have stopped taking in water. What can I do?

    Laurie,
    It’s hard to determine what could be happening. Perhaps too much of a good thing -too much water w/o letting the plant dry can lead to root rot causing the plant to stop growing. When the roots are damaged, they cannot utililze any fertilizer or water.

    Comment by Laurie — 7/1/2005 @ 6:24 am

  4. Straw Flowers in a hanging basket, how do I water it ? and do I keep it in full sun? please help

    Helichrysum bracteanum like at least 6 hrs of direct sun (full sun) and well-drained soil. Keep the plant slightly moist and don’t let it dry out too much between watering- tend to produce less flowers. Don’t allow it to wilt and be careful not to over water. Deadheading flowers will keep it blooming all summer long. If you want to save the flowers for dried arrangement pinch off mature flowers(just before the centers show) and dry. You can add a wire stem when the flower is still fresh to use in bouquets.

    Comment by susan micek — 7/8/2005 @ 2:01 pm

  5. I would like to know what type of plants etc are the best ones to grow in hanging baskets, need lotsa ideas, first time planter here. thanks

    There are many plants that grow successfully in a hanging basket. Some favorites are geranium, petunia, reiger begonia, impatients, verbena and the list goes on. When you pick out your basket you need to be aware of where you are going to hang it- sun or shade and what its requirements are. A shade basket placed in the sun will scorch and discolor conversely a sun loving plant will not produce many flowers in the shade.

    Comment by telegirl2001 — 5/10/2006 @ 2:30 pm

  6. I accidentally froze my hanging plant overnight in the car! Don’t know what kind it is. What do I do now? Thanks.

    OOPS!! There is probably nothing you can do. If it is a tropical houseplant, chances are most of the top growth will turn transparent and mushy. The optimist in me says cut away all dead material and see if anything sprouts from the roots. If you don’t see anything in a month give up and start over.

    Comment by MJ — 1/25/2007 @ 9:57 am

  7. I bought a big, wonderful Fuchsia to hang on my porch which gets shade all day. It was doing fine till the last couple days when the weather got to the 80’s. It is going to get hotter, what can I do , the plant is never in the sun?

    Fuchsias like cool days and cool nights. They are more suited to weather in the Pacific Northwest or highlands of Hawaii. They cannot tolerate hot weather which will cause them to wilt and drop their flowers. Keep it in the shade and out of the wind until it cools down a bit. If it stops blooming, cut the plant back to a node and it should give off new growth within a month and rebloom on new growth. When in bloom, feed it every two weeks with a 1/2 dose of a balanced fertilizer.

    Comment by Tammi — 5/10/2007 @ 5:21 pm

  8. How do I keep the birds from building nests in my hanging baskets?

    You can put some obstacles in their way such as strips of mylar, shiny plastic (pinwheels) or foil in the area where the are building nests. Rubber snakes or shiny globes with eyes painted on them can also work. Netting on the basket can also be effective but then what’s the point of having a decorative hanging basket?

    Comment by Julie — 5/28/2007 @ 6:33 pm

  9. Yellowing leaves

    Barring insect infestation, yellowing older leaves can be a response to stress, such as overwatering, lack of fertilizer(nitrogen) or the plant is just shedding some of its old leaves. Yellowing new leaves can indicate chlorosis (yellowing between the veins) a lack of iron. When hanging baskets are grown in the green house they are fed on a regular schedule and once it goes to market that feeding stops. Your basket might need a dose of a balanced fertilizer to replace the nutrients that get washed away with regular watering.

    Comment by Mary — 5/31/2007 @ 1:56 pm

  10. I have made over forty baskets and containers and have a couple of baskets and my moss baskets seemed to have gone hydrophobic, what is the best method to help this

    I would fill a bucket with water and soak the basket until it has absorbed the water and is rehydrated(may take a few hours) then hang it to drain out the water. Once the moss dries out it takes longer to rehydrate it. A rewetting agent (Soax-not sure if its available for cosumer) would work or mix water retaining polymers into the soil to keep it moist longer. The moss baskets will do better if hanging in a North or East location so they don’t dry out as quickly in the summer and you won’t have to water them as often.

    Comment by Christine — 7/1/2007 @ 11:59 am

  11. I have a hanging baskets of trailing lobelia. How do I deadhead all those tiny flowers? I still have many new blossoms, but also many dried and dead blossoms that make the baskets look dull and dried out. Should I cut the entire plant back?

    Pick off the dull dried out parts which will take some time or you can cut the plant back. If you haven’t fertilized feed it with some Miracle grow or a balanced fertilizer to give it a fresh boost. It should regrow and bloom within a few weeks. To maintain a healthy looking basket, pick off the dead flowers as they turn brown.

    Comment by Mary — 7/12/2007 @ 8:12 am

  12. I live in Portland, OR and have a fuchsia hanging basket (called First Love, semi-double trailing corolla) that I’ve just brought inside since it’s in the mid 30’s outside most of the time. The leaves have turned mostly yellow and dropped off. I’ve placed it near a window and watered it once
    a week. Should I prune the branches now or later in the spring? The temp. inside the room is about 62 degrees or so. Or could I bring it in the garage where there is
    less light and the temp. about 40 degrees?
    Thank you for any advice you can give me.

    Hi Jay
    Fuchsia will yellow and drop their leaves in lower light and colder temperatures. You can prune the branches now down to 3 to 6″ stubs. Store the plant in the garage at 45-50F degrees for the winter. Water the container sparingly, just enough to keep the soil from drying out completely. It will remain dormant until the weather warms up. In the spring, place the plant in bright filtered light and start watering, when you see signs of new growth, repot the plant in fresh soil in the same container or a slightly larger one.

    Comment by Jay Bessley — 1/12/2008 @ 5:25 am

  13. I have a 15″ hanging basket and would like to plant Impatiens Summer Waterfall how many plants should I plant in it to create a full show?

    I would plant 8-10 plants depending on how large your plants are. If you are using 4.5″ pot plants then half the amount would suffice.

    Comment by Tom Brown — 3/9/2008 @ 7:07 am

  14. Help. I live in Michigan and have an area for hanging baskets on the north side of my home. It is windy and does not get a lot of sun. I would like a lot of color. Any suggestions?

    The north exposure will require plants that tolerate part shade to shade. There are more colorful sun loving plants but here are a few suggestions for shade color to try: Impatients, Fuchsia, New Guinea impatients (PS) Torenia, tuberous begonia(my fav), wax begonia and coleus. Your garden centers will usually indicate which plants or combination of plants are a good choice for the shade.

    Comment by Kerry G — 4/29/2008 @ 5:18 am

Leave a comment

Please search before posting, we might already have what you are looking for on the site.
 
HortChat.com© Web

(required)


(required, but not displayed)

authimage


Please note: Comment moderation is currently enabled so there may be a delay between when you post your comment and when it shows up. Patience is a virtue; there’s no need to resubmit your comment.