Watering And Feeding Your Hanging Baskets

 Whatever compost you choose, you can cut down on watering by adding water-retaining gels. Some need pre-soaking; others can be added directly to the compost. Most new composts contain some plant food, but this is usually exhausted after 6 weeks.

To keep the plants flowering well, you should give a high-potash plant food. Tomato fertilizers are suitable, but you can also buy special hanging basket formulas. Pelleted fertilizers are easy to handle and feed the plant as they break down in the compost. One application will last for a whole season, but check, as individual products vary. Liquid feeds are sold as powders to be dissolved in water, as liquids to be diluted or as ready-mixed products. They are usually watered into the compost as a root drench at intervals, depending on the product.

Some can be sprayed directly on to the foliage as a foliar feed, and these are especially good for giving your plants an instant boost if they have suffered a setback, such as an unexpected cold spell or pest attack, but a certain amount of the product is inevitably lost.

Thinking Ahead

Hanging baskets have to be planned for in advance. Although it is possible to buy plants in flower for instant impact, this is an expensive option and the flowers are likely to be short lived if they have been forced out of season. As a general rule, you need to plant up your baskets 6-10 weeks before the main season of interest. Spring flowering bulbs, for instance, are sold in autumn and winter and should be planted at that time.

Buying Plants

The best advice when buying plants is to go to a reputable garden centre or nursery. Bedding plants are sold in strips, but larger plants such as ivies, pelargoniums and fuchsias are usually potted individually. ‘Plugs’, basically young plantlets with well-developed root systems, are often sold via mail order by seed merchants; Busy Lizzies, Fuchsias, Pelargoniums and Begonias are often marketed this way.

If possible check the plant before purchase to make sure that it is not harbouring any pests or diseases. Bedding plants should have fresh, bright green foliage, with no hint of yellowing, and should be compact, not straggly. Potted plants should have a good root system.

If you can, slide the plant from the pot. The roots should fill the pot nicely without being tightly coiled. Select plants that have plenty of healthy buds that are not yet open. Bulbs are sold when dormant (usually in autumn and winter). Buy them from a reputable garden centre or nursery and look for firm, plump bulbs that show no signs of withering or fungal disease.

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