How Are Your Hanging Baskets and Container Gardens Looking?

This is the time of year when some gardeners with container gardens or hanging baskets become frustrated because their spring investment is starting to look a little shaggy. If we stop and think about it, these plants in containers are living and developing much like any other living thing. Take for instance your lawn, that is living and growing, and if we don't mow it for 10 days it looks pretty shaggy. The same thing is true of the plants we have growing in baskets or containers. They need attention to keep them looking good...like watering regularly and a steady diet. Some trimming when they start to look straggly, which usually occurs about 4-6 weeks after we have them home. Selected trimming about every 3 weeks will keep them full of blooms when they have food available from weekly fertilizing or a slow release fertilizer that is applied one time for the season.

I know of gardeners that are beginning to have a problem with their plants growing in containers or hanging baskets and I am sure some of you are experiencing a similar situation. The question that is asked most frequently is, "How often should I water my hanging basket or container garden?" Our response is always "when it dries out". This is like asking "what kind of coat should I wear today", response: "wear the one that will keep you warm" and that will depends on the weather. Stop and think about it...plant water needs are seldom the same every day because this depends on several things- temperature, wind, how the plant is growing. As plants mature in containers and their rate of growth slows down, because they are flowering heavily instead of growing rapidly, they are also becoming "root bound" (the container is full of roots) and they will likely require watering more frequently when it is warmer. If the temperatures become cooler they will not dry out as fast and over-watering can occur causing serious damage to the roots and ultimately this will show up in the tops of the plants with light green and brown leaves. Symptoms of root damage is defoliation because the roots are drowning in too much water or are dried out severely. Let the soil dry out some between waterings and if the plants wilt some that is ok, as long as the wilt isn't too severe. Fertilizer will not help when the roots are damaged, so keep the soil moist but not saturated and feed regularly (weekly). Imagine if you were drowning and someone offered you a good Philly steak sandwich, you don't need the sandwich right then, what you need is air, this is true of your plants as well. When you keep them growing then they can use the feed.

So the take away is: keep your plants growing by 1) keeping the soil moderately moist, not soaking wet or too dry. 2) Keep them fed so they keep growing and producing flowers and one easy way to do that is with a slow release fertilizer that feeds for the entire growing season with one application. 3) Trim your hanging baskets and container plants when they start to become leggy. This will make the plants fuller and bloom more.

Meadow View Growers

www.meadowview.com.

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Landscaping/Gardening Information:

Related Articles

A Storage Bench Provides Much Needed Outdoor Space
If you are like most of us, there are two things that you cannot get enough of: storage and outdoor seating. What if I told you that I have the perfect solution to solve both of these problems and that it comes in a stylish, hard to resist package?The truth is that by using storage benches to provide comfortable outdoor seating you can solve your storage issues as well.
Growing Your Own Herbs for Tea
If you love herbal teas, as I do, you know they are just a little bit pricey. However, growing your own herbs is easy and so much fun!Here are just a few of the herbs you might want to consider for a tea garden:Chamomile: Remember the favorite tea of Peter Rabbit? Only the flowers of this fragrant herb are used when making tea.
Are You Being Taken Advantage of when Ordering Flowers Online?
Did you know that you can send flowers many different ways on the internet? With a few different options of delivering and ordering flowers online, you must be aware of security and safety of your personal information. Not only that, but you could be left with disappointing flowers for your event if you choose the wrong online florist.
Are My Grapes Ready to Harvest?
This is the time of the year that I keep hearing the question "When do I harvest my grapes?" Or sometimes the question is phrased "Are my grapes ripe yet?" And then there's the "Are they ready yet?"Yes, it's that time of the year when grapes are turning color and homeowners are thinking about when their grapes will be harvested. But many homeowners think that when the color turns, the grapes are ready to eat.
Marsh Marigold
The bright yellow flowers of the marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) are easy to mistake for the cowslip (primula veris). Both are widespread over Europe, Asia, and the U.
Wild Flower Garden - Yours to Design and Plan
To design a wild flower garden, you do not need to be a specialist or an artist, you just need to be observant and let your creative juices flow. Look around you, what is unique about your surroundings? Do you wish to enhance or compliment these things.
Tarragon: A Favourite of French Chefs
Long a favourite of French chefs, the herb Artemisia dracunculus, known as French tarragon or dragon herb is an essential ingredient in Béarnaise sauce, tarragon vinegar, and certain Dijon mustards. A perennial herb, tarragon grows 2 - 4 feet (60 - 120 cm) and has dark, shiny, narrow grey-green leaves about 3 inches (8 cm) long with smooth edges.
Adirondack Chairs - How to Care for and Clean Them
Different from any other chair, the Adirondack chair was first created in the late 1800s by Thomas Lee as a means of making something exceptionally comfortable, affordable, and a chair that could be used in the house or backyard. What makes this chair so unique is the overall design.
Using Push Reel Mowers
If you're not familiar with push reel mowers or if you haven't used one since "back in the day", there are a few points you should be aware of before using a push reel mower:Don't expect to cut tall weeds or dandelions. You notice how your gas-powered mowers get a little "overwhelmed" when cutting weeds or very tall grass? Those issues are a bit worse with reel mowers because they become harder to push and they are limited in the height of what they can cut.
The Advantages of Silk Flowers
The silk flower is growing in popularity among young couples and families for many different reasons. Many event hosts or planners struggle over whether to choose fresh flowers or artificial flowers.
Toxic Pollutants & Their Effect on Fish Health
Once water temperatures increase in the summer months, fishbecome more active and produce increasing amounts of waste,leading to potential water pollution. Fish produce waste in theform of ammonia, which is broken down into nitrites then nitratesby beneficial bacteria.
Fertilizers - What you Need to Feed Your Lawn
Just like humans need food, water and shelter to survive, lawns depend on certain elements to live, sixteen to be exact. Most of these elements are already found naturally in the environment, but several others need to be added to your lawn.
How To Plan A Garden Right
Gardening is a hobby that brings joy, entertainment, and a better quality of life. It is a creative activity, the result of which is a more aesthetically appealing home.
Composting the Easy Way
Having an ample supply of good rich compost is the gardeners dream. It has many uses, and all of those uses will result in nicer plants.
Gardening Tips and Tricks for Late Autumn
Preparing for the Winter Months: Gardening in OctoberWhen you feel that first solid bite in the breeze and you see the songbirds winging their way south, and the trees are bursting with fire-laden hues, you know you can't be spending the weekend curled up by the fireplace with a good book. Not for long.
Furniture Benches Are Perfect For Every Outdoor Space
The task of selecting outdoor furniture for your natural spaces can seem daunting at times. There are just so many options to choose from that many people get confused browsing through the large collections that can be found in catalogues, stores and even online.
How to Control Poison Ivy
Poison ivy is found throughout southern Canada and most ofthe United States except Alaska and Hawaii. It is readilyfound along road sides, fences, railroads, and streams.
Invite Spring Early - Grow in Your Basement
Now's the time to get ready to grow your own seedlings! It's not really difficult, and can extend your growing season by many weeks. For example, by planting brassica's (cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower) in February in your basement under grow-lights, you can put large, sturdy transplants into your garden by the end of March or early April, and be eating them when others are just seeing them come up! However, remembering that photosynthesis, using light, heat and moisture causes plant growth, you must follow a few key natural principles very carefully, or you will be disappointed.
Lawn Edging
How do you make those flowers bloom where they are planted and not go overboard and how do you make your turf stick to its own turf and not edge into your flower beds, borders, and garden spaces? Lawn edging is the answer!Edging bricks, lawn timbers, and treated wood edging , molded plastic edging and heavy duty plastic strips are all ways to wall in your flowers and keep weeds out of your garden and the other landscaped areas of your yard. In addition to curbing your weed problem, lawn edging also keeps mulch and decorative landscape treatments in place.
Hand Feeding your Koi
One of the most rewarding and entertaining things about having aKoi pond is when your fish finally start eating out of your hand.There is no better way to learn each fishes' personality andtemprament than to have them nuzzle your fingers when they arehungry.