
Growing hanging baskets isn't as easy as it looks! You have to make sure that they don't dry out plus that they're getting enough nutrients and water.
Having the right plants in your hanging basket is essential as well. Here are some great tips for growing hanging baskets this season.
Hanging Basket Essentials
Pick up a hanging basket with a coco liner as it helps to retain water and lets the roots breathe. If there is not a plastic liner, add a layer of plastic wrap or a trash bag on the bottom with teeny tiny holes poked through.
Next, mix one-third organic potting soil, with one-third vermiculite or perlite to one-third earthworm castings. This potting soil mixture has a lot of water retention properties which is essential for hanging baskets.
Hanging Basket Flowers and Plants
On the outer edges of hanging baskets, you want to have plants that trail down. Some of the best plants for hanging baskets are petunias, lobelia, geraniums, begonias, fuchsia, and alyssum. You can also add herbs and vegetables that love to trail down like strawberries, tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, and oregano.
In the center of the hanging basket, you can add a tall plant or keep the basket with just trailing plants.
Watering and Other Tips
If you live in any higher zone than Zone 7, invest in a hanging basket drip irrigation kit. The fastest way to lose your basket is to let it dry out. Hanging baskets lose water faster than any other container.
In temperatures over 80 degrees, they need to be watered daily. If temps are above 95, then they should be watered in the morning before daybreak and again in the evening.
Extreme heat stresses out the plants but with a constant source of water, they will do alright.
Make sure to add more of the potting soil mix you made every few weeks to the basket. When you water it, some of that soil leeches out of the basket.
The plants will use the added potting soil as their fertilizer since the earthworm castings are filled with all the nutrients that they need to continue blooming.
Additional related posts you might like:
How to Grow Herbs & Veggies in Hanging BasketsHow to Grow Tomatoes Like a Pro
5 Ways to Get the Most from Your Garden
Carole Wet @ Garden Up Green says
Great tips for planters - Just started focusing some of my garden time on making table and ground planters this year. I will have to try hanging planters next year.
Carole
Teresa says
To help keep my baskets from drying out I place a disposable diaper, absorbent side up, under the soil. (I cut off the side flaps first.) Alternatively you can buy the water absorbing crystals that are in disposable diapers.
If a basket gets dried out it is hard to refresh it because the water may just run off. In that circumstance it is best to place the basket in a tub of water and let it slowly achieve saturation.
Emilie Hebert says
i love your diaper idea! i plan to try it on all my hanging baskets.
thank for the tip!
Brad says
I use diapers as well. I also like the idea of drip irrigation, irrigation direct has some really nice items. I was on here looking for a basket, the problem with the peat based baskets is they don't last but a couple of years. The problem with the plastic is over time they crack. I wish somebody would design a basket made out of medium heavy fiberglass with centric holes inverted kind of like a strawberry planter but wider. Even clay fired ceramic would be nice. Now that would be more expensive but better than spending 30$ every couple of years for a replacement peat basket.
Kelli says
I found some mini whiskey barrels at our tractor supply store, added a strong rope to hand it by and have a cute hanging, hopefully longer lasting, plant hanger! This will be the 3rd season and they haven't seemed to weather at all yet. They are about 12" in diameter at the top, tapering just a little with a flat bottom.
Shelia says
How do I get the inside of petunias from becoming leggy.
Corrie C says
You need to make sure you're watering your petunias enough. If they're in a hanging basket, they likely need water every day. You also need to remove dead petals as well as seed pods. It will also help if you cut back the branches by quarter to half every once in awhile. You can check out this site for additional tips.