Hanging Baskets
Outdoor hanging baskets can bring new life to your landscaping, as well as boost your curb appeal. While hanging baskets are quite popular in the spring, many people struggle with actually keeping them alive through the season. This guide will help you know how to care for hanging baskets to keep them looking beautiful throughout the summer.
Water Frequently
The amount of water that your hanging plants will need depends on a variety of different factors. When you purchase your hanging plant a care guide should come with it. Make sure you read the attached guide that comes with your plant. The guides have valuable information about your plant. It will go a long way to helping you know how to care for your hanging baskets to keep them looking beautiful. It will detail how much sunlight the plant needs and how often it should be watered.
How much water they need will also depend on temperature and the time of year. Typically, hanging baskets need much more water than plants that are planted in the ground. Some hanging basket may need to be watered twice a day if it is very hot. Do not water your plants midday. Midday is when the sun will be at its hottest and the water will quickly evaporate. You want to give the plants enough time to soak up the water before it is evaporates.
Hanging plants with smaller containers will dry out more quickly than those that are larger and therefore need to be checked more frequently. You will want to make sure that water is coming out of the drainage holes during irrigation and that the first inch of soil in the planter is moist. There is potential that you may over water your flowers, which can lead to the failure of your plants.
Over watering is not usually the case since most hanging baskets dry out way to quickly. A couple of tricks to keep your hanging baskets watered sufficiently is to place some plastic in the bottom of the basket to help retain some water before it drips out. Another method of maintaining moisture is to water less amounts more frequently.
Knowing how much to water your hanging basket plants and making sure not to water too much or too little can start to feel like a chore and can even be overwhelming. You may go through several hanging plants through the season, simply because they are not always the easiest to keep alive. Automatic hanging basket drip kits will help you care for your hanging baskets to keep them looking beautiful. With the Watering Rocks hanging basket automatic portable drip system kit, you do not have to worry about your plants getting enough water.
Dead Head
Do not worry if you notice some flowers on your hanging basket wilting or falling off. When flowers on your plant die, you will need to make sure that you remove them. This process is called dead heading. You perform dead heading by pinching off the flower where it meets the stem. This helps your hanging plants look more visually appealing and helps promote new growth. Some flowering hanging plants do not need the dead ends plucked out. So, it is important to follow the care instructions that come with your plant. The instructions are very important in helping you know how to care for your hanging baskets to keep them looking beautiful.
Utilize Fertilizer
Make sure that you utilize fertilizer for your hanging baskets. Fertilizer is important for the growth and overall well-being of your plant. You may notice brighter, fuller, and larger plants after consistently using fertilizer. Fertilizer works by helping to replenish the soil with nutrients that it might have lost. Soil can naturally lose nutrients from watering and the absorption. You will want to make sure that you follow the instructions listed on your individual fertilizer. However, most fertilizers require the soil to be moist. Automatic drip systems can add liquid fertilizer automatically as it intermittently adds with each drip cycle.
What Kind of Fertilization is Best for Hanging Baskets?
When you first purchase a hanging basket they are full and vibrant. However, by mid to late summer you may notice that your hanging plants are stressed. The good news is that some fertilization can help your hanging basket last through the season. The key to fertilizing hanging plants is to do so slowly. hanging plants require fertilization over time. A mixture of both dry and moist fertilizer is effective for hanging plants. Try adding ½ cup of worm castings to just the top of your hanging plants every month. This is a slow release fertilizer that is absorbed through the roots. Every two weeks, you can then add in liquid fertilizer. The hanging plants will absorb all these nutrients through the leaves and the roots.
Trim Your Hanging Baskets
Give Them a Trim
Do not be afraid to trim up your hanging plants. After a few weeks, you may have noticed that your hanging plants are looking a little wild. Trimming them up can do just the trick. In order to trim your flowers, you will want to use some sharp sheers. Taking off a few inches or parts that you are unhappy with can help give your hanging plants a more uniform look. Even though you may cut off some perfectly healthy flowers, the process will help to keep your hanging plants looking nice through the season.
Rotate the Baskets
You may notice that some of your baskets do better in certain locations than others. For instance, one area may get more sun than another area outside your home. Being in this constant sun could hinder the progression of that flower basket and may lead to its failure. Instead, try rotating the locations of the baskets. This will help balance out environmental conditions the hanging baskets need. You may also want to try rotating the baskets from one side to the other.
What If My Plant Outgrows the Basket?
There are instances where a healthy growing plant simply outgrows their hanging basket. You have a few options when this happens. In order to keep the plant healthy and to help it last through the season, it is best to remove it from the hanging basket. You can then put it into a larger basket with more soil or you can plant it directly into your landscaping. This can help add some color to your flower beds. Your plant will continue to grow through the season, as well as bloom.
Taking care of hanging plants can sometimes feel overwhelming. Keeping them alive through the spring and summer months is a challenge for many. However, using these tips and tricks will help you maintain vibrant hanging plants throughout the season.
Be sure to visit our website for more information about plant care and watering techniques.