Hanging basket question

Hello all, I've been gardening a long time, but have a problem with hanging baskets. I hang 6 around the north side from the porch roof, 4-6 around the back on the south side. Nomally I plant ivy geraniums and vinca vine, petunias and ivy of different kinds. They look great, but keeping them watered is a pain! I've tried lining the cocoa mat with half a Wmart bag, lining the bottom part with a disposable baby diaper, etc.. all the tips that I've read in magazines or heard from neighbors. Tried going with potting soil, potting mix, or a mix of half and half. Seems like I can water them daily and they can get really dry by the next morning, especially in the hot summers. They are not hanging in the direct light, as they hang from the underside of the roof overhang. The ones on the south side get tons more light as they have more exposure. I don't mind the watering, but can't hardly slip off on the weekends, as they will be stressed or dead when I get back.

The city has these huge hanging baskets along the streets, and bridges, so I know there has to be something I can do to cut the watering down, or at least find a different way to plant them to hold the moisture better. Any different ideas of what I can do?
Pic below is from past years, to give an idea of size....

The disposable diaper idea has been taken in a better direction with the absorbent crystals added to potting soil. Here is a link with info about the polymer used, You can probably find a bag soil at your garden center, like Miracle -Gro that has the crystals added. The baskets promote excellent drainage, so you may want to also look into some of the more drought tolerant plants.


http://watergelcrystals.com/

cool, I'll see if I can find some of this around here or order some to try.. Thank you very much!

Edited: I just ordered a pound of this, should be more than enough to do all my planters AND make a couple of those cool neckbands for my mom and stepdad to take along on their quad rides around the country and tractor shows... Thanks again!

This message was edited Jan 21, 2010 5:38 PM

You are so very welcome. I hope that helps with your problem. I am sure your folks will enjoy it as much as your plants....grin

Last year I asked my favorite nursery how she gets her baskets so full and how to keep them watered.
She uses a mix of 1/2 and 1/2 potting soil with a coconut mulch you can purschase in the nursery.
I did this in all my hanging baskets last year and it made a huge difference, the coconut mulch acts like a sponge and holds in water!

coconut mulch????? Guess I need to check into that, I have 4 nurseries close by so when they open, will stop and ask. Thanks so much! It would help keep the larger baskets a little lighter too, I'm assuming!

With the water absorbent crystals, reconstitute them before you incorporate them into the soil - otherwise, they can swell so much that they push the dirt up and out of the pot. Good luck.

Thanks for that suggestion! It didn't say that on the package directions, but makes sense as it will displace the soil when it expands. Can't wait to try this out when I do my Spring baskets.. but I have a couple houseplants I'm going to try it on this week. If this works like I think it's going to, my life will be oh-so-much happier!!!!

home depot suggested to me to use a product called perlite. are they just trying to sell me product?

Perlite lightens the soil and creates better drainage but it doesn't work like the water crystals. Generally hanging baskets drain fast so I don't see the need for Perlite.

I agree, most potting mixes contain perlite anyway. If you're using potting soil, you could mix in some perlite to cut down on the weight of the basket, but I can't see where it would hold much moisture.. I've read articles that suggest that too, but never understood the concept.

Thanks for your post because I could never grasp it either.

welcome! Sometimes I think they just sell what they've been told, not really what they know to be good!

Wal Mart has nice hanging baskets now at $7.00.

Also for you weekend trips ..you could make a drip container from a plastic bottle and put one in each of the baskets. Remove when you get home. Short term solution to back up the absorbent crystals.

Pretty basket

Ours was just working on organizing their inside Garden dept. last week... I'll have to check tomorrow to see if they have anything yet... probably Spring stuff, bulbs and such...

Missingrosie: I thought about that 'bottle' idea last year, but didn't try it. You know those Globes they sell on TV for watering your plants? My son uses their empty wine bottles in their big pots... says it works pretty well....

Thanks, that pic was taken in the Fall. It had started to thin out as the heat stressed it out so bad. But during the first of the summer, it was so full, you couldn't see the basket! I hope this year is better for them than last year!

I guess he drilled it?

I think a big soda bottle might offer you more of a reservoir (and less worry about getting home) than the globe or the wine bottle.

I bet colored wine bottle looks great just as an artzy thing!

Using the crystals, a little bit goes a LONG way. I love them but used too much the first year and had the jelly blobs pop to the top of the soil. Try not to spill them, it makes a mess when it rains.

Go ahead and put the plastic bag higher up on the coir, but make sure there is a hole in the bottom for drainage, just in case.

I have 3 pots that get lots of sun in the afternoon and don't have to water every day anymore.

I use old plastic jugs from coffee or nuts (put through the dishwasher first), add a tablespoon of crystals and water. I still have containers from last year and the crystals remain reconstituted. Having them ready to use makes it so easy when planting containers.

(That's not really cashews in the plastic! It's Alfalfa meal.)

no, he didn't drill any holes in them, just filled them with water and turned them upside down into the pot... works just like the Globes...
Cathy4, do you mix the crystals in with your potting mix first or reconstitute first, then mix in with the soil? I haven't done anything with mine yet, but will have to get started in the next month or so.. I read someone else's post about putting too many in, that it could push the plants out of the pot.. I'll be sooooo happy if this takes care of my watering issues during the summer!
I line the coir with a Wmart bag, then with a screwdriver, punch 3 tiny holes in the bottom, lay in a coffee filter, then fill with the mix. When I water, I pour some in each basket (I have 6 hanging in the front), do my planters, then come back to pour more in until it starts coming out the bottom. If I do it all at once, it drains out before it has a chance to absorb the water.

Pirl, that looks like my cabinet downstairs! One would think I'm a caffeine fiend!!!!!

Kizmo, I've done it both ways. When I'm doing pots I like to wet it first then mix it in (put some dirt in the pot, then a thin layer of the wet blobs, then dirt and the plants. In the garden, I just put a dry tiny pinch in the bottom of holes. This has helped us at church so we don't have to water so much.

For established plants that may go dry too fast, like astilbe, I often use a Sharpie and push it full length, wiggle it around, and then add dry crystals as you would use salt if your doctor were watching.

This message was edited Feb 27, 2010 10:19 PM

This message was edited Feb 27, 2010 10:21 PM

ok, was wondering how to do this, the bag really doesn't specify. It's always nicer to hear from someone that actually uses it! Thanks All!

By the way Policiaboy: I love Martha!!!!

I'm watching this thread as I just purchased a half pound of those crystals. I have some of that coconut grass in four pots and can't keep them wet. I think I pretty much lost everything in the greenhouse. But with the crystals I will start over. So keep posting. Spring isn't quite here yet.
Linda

I will never use the crystals dry for hanging baskets. It's so much easier to use them when they're reconstituted.

Hi All! I got just a few minutes during my 'break' from housework...LOL I can't wait to try these crystals... I bought a pound of them, and the bag is sitting here looking at me..waiting....

So far, my vinca that I'm overwintering in the basement and upstairs is doing well..... It's about time to give them a 'buzzy' (haircut, as my Mom called them), so they can sprawl a little. I'm working on some remodeling stuff today, so will be back later. Y'all have a nice afternoon!

Kiz

I had the same kind of problem Kizmo. Thanks a lot for bringing up the issue. I've followed these suggestions and now don't need to worry about watering my hanging plants. Thanks!

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[url=http://www.saeshaflowers.com/send-flowers-to.aspx/Egypt/0/0/0/0]Egypt Flowers[/url]

Since this is a new product for me, I decided to try it out today while I was working elsewhere. The Bag instructions call for 1 Tablespoon to a Gallon of water. I put a scant teaspoon into a bowl, poured in 3 c. water.... it sucked up all the water, plus another half cup.
The dry crystals are about the size of cornmeal grits, but after hydrating, they are the size of large peas. Now I have to do something with them. Now I understand why you do this BEFORE planting LOL

Just keep them in a sealed plastic bag or Tupperware/Rubbermaid type of containers.

ok, hadn't thought of that...

they will eventually dry out if you don't bag them, but can be fluffed up lots of times.

I think those crystals are amazing! Good luck :)

well, I was thinking that they would dehydrate.... eventually! But for the moment, I put some in a bud vase with a baby spider plant that is growing roots, just to see. And one of my Amaryllis stems got bumped, so I snapped off the bloom and stuck it in the crystals... I won't know if I don't experiment, right? But I agree, if these work like magic in my baskets this summer, I'll be ecstatic!

I have used these crystals before in a palm plant and it loved it, now I am thinking my window boxes since they dry out so easily. Probably should have bough a pond in our summer heat. But right now we have snow!

I'm sure the plants in the window boxes will love it.... my baskets are going to, for sure! We're in 55º+ this week, took a few pots outside to enjoy the fresh air, now have to bring them all back in so they don't get the sniffles.. LOL

My baskets are small so I am not sure what to put in them, I would love a small geranim and something to spill out, was thinking allysum or mint (which I have some of both, any ideas? Small ivy might be nice too. But I want color too! Maybe my morning glorie seeds in all colors?

In a shady spot or a sunny spot?

The Morning Glories can get to 5 to 8' tall so I'm not certain if that's what you'd want.

How about trailing coleus?

This link will take you to Mischel's Greenhouses and a plethora of ideas for hanging baskets for sun, shade, etc.

http://www.mischelsgreenhouses.com/