The Secrets to a
Beautiful Hanging Basket
Hanging baskets of gorgeous flowering
annuals are the envy of the neighborhood. How does one make that happen? Well
the first thing to realize is that the basket is really quite small considering
the amount of plant material that is growing out of it. Therefore you MUST and
I repeat must water that basket every day. The second thing to remember
is that the plant is like a child it must be fed. Fertilizer is key. Most
people do not feed their plants enough. We recommend a product called Bud and
Bloom, which is a great fertilizer for blooming plants, if you have miracle-gro
you many use that too, or schultz or Peter's or whatever you have. Really just
remember to do it. Use the concentration that is specified on the box or
bottle. Most of these fertilizers need to be mixed with water. Warm water will
dissolve the powdered fertilizers more easily.You want to be sure it is mixed
well with the water. Plants can be burned with the residue that is left in the
bottom of the water can if it is not dissolved properly. At least once a
week use the fertilizer water instead of plain water on your plants. The water
needs to get into the pot and the soil itself, getting the leaves wet with this
mixture just doesn't really help. Soak the soil ball where the roots are so the
plants can take the nutrients up through it's root system. Many people think
that a plant can absorb nutrients through it's leaves, well that just won't
work for these beauties. They need the food at the roots and the water. Pick a
day of the week to do your feeding and stick with it. Speaking of water, we are
talking about quite a bit of water every day, for a 10" hanging basket you
will need about a half gallon at least per plant per day. If you are using a hose,
make sure it is soaking into the root ball and not just spraying the leaves.
You can water until the water comes out of the drain holes in the bottom of the
pot. If you are going away for the day and it is going to be hot, water the
plant well and leave in the shade for the day, this simple practice could save
many plants from death due to drying out on a hot day. Who wants to rush
back from the beach to come home to a dry dead plant. Just plan
ahead and leave them in the shade and they will be fine.
You also need to start with a
superior plant. The vegetative plants, which means they come from cuttings
rather than seed tend to produce more flowers and are more vigorous. Proven
Winners is a brand that we carry in our greenhouses. They are superior plant
varieties that are proven to be successful. To learn more about Proven Winner
brand plants, check out the website-http://www.provenwinners.com/
If you have done all of this
and your plant has gone out of flower which some varieties tend to do
especially when it gets hot, you can give the plant what I like to call a"
haircut". Just take some scissors or pruners and cut off the bottom 3-6
inches of growth from around the entire perimeter of the pot. You do need to
leave some green leaves on there so it can regenerate itself, so don't cut all
of the leaves off but a nice trim back will force new growth and more FLOWERS!!
That is what we want. The flowers can take up to 2 or 3 weeks to appear so
don't worry. You should see new leaves emerging within one week's time. Be sure
to fertilize during this time to encourage new growth and keep up with the
water. Early August is a good time to cut back your baskets so they look great
in early September for your Labor Day picnic. When you cut back you many have
to sacrifice some of the scraggly flowers that are hanging on the ends of the
plant, just do it!! You can put them in a vase if you feel really bad
about it. Also check for insects while you tend to your baskets, aphids are
very prevalent in the summer. They are soft bodied insects that drain the
life from the leaves.They actually suck the moisture out of the leaves and
flowers. They can be green or black or red. They are fairly easy to kill, but
they also multiply faster than rabbits. Spray with insecticidal soap or
Master Nursery Rose & Flower Insect killer to get rid of them. you need to
reapply the spray every 5-7 days for at least 3 applications. Follow these
recommendations for success with your hanging baskets and be the envy of the
neighborhood!
Hydrangea Heaven
Hydrangeas
can be the most heavenly flowers in the summer garden. They can be fussy though
and many people have asked me why they won't bloom. The hydrangea plant for the
most part , at least the colorful ones like shown in this picture, bloom
on what we call "old wood". This means that the sticks that look dead
in the winter are actually the branches that have the potential to make flowers
for you the following summer.Do not cut off the dead looking sticks in the fall
or the spring, many people do this thinking that the sticks look dead and ugly,
resist this urge and let them stay on the plant, you should be rewarded with
flowers the following summer. If you have never cut the sticks back and you
still don't get flowers, you may be losing the old wood to winter kill. Which
simply means the plant is not surviving the cold of our winters here in
If you have a
picture of your beautiful hydrangeas or other blooming plants, email it over
with your success tips and we will include it in next month's email newsletter
to share with our readers. The best tip will receive a $20 gift card to Hart's!
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