Hanging Basket Health Tips
When you hang your baskets turn the best side out as they are planted with the plants growing to the front.To keep it in this position tie the back to the bottom of the bracket with a little string or light wire. This also stops the baskets being spun by the wind. If your basket is being spun by the wind it’s an indication that it’s light and dry.
A lot of people ask about stickiness in Surfinia the trailing Petunia. This comes about in stress conditions, high temperatures or drying out and is a protective mechanism in the plant. If you see a lot of dead heads this is also a sign of stressful conditions as the first thing to suffer in heat and drought are the blossoms. So it is more important to water than to dead head as most of the plants we use in summer do not produce seeds. Time spent watering gives a better return that time spent dead heading.
Having trouble getting your baskets wet? Try “dunking it” in slightly suddy water for 12 hours. This reduces the surface tension in the compost and soaks it thoroughly. Before re-hanging pour the left over water over the basket. Suddy water also kills greenfly.
If you are going away for a weekend and don’t have anyone to take care of your basket, “dunk it” like this and when it has drained off just before you go away bring it into your garage or bathroom out of the glare of the sun and simply rehang when you return. Always take care not to put the basket sitting on the tails of the flowers.
Dunking is a good exercise when you are topping up with the fertilizer we give you. Always “dib” a hole carefully so as not to damage the roots when you use the top up fertilizer which should be done monthly.
If you are elderly or can’t reach your basket to water it asks us about our stands which you can sit a basket into and it will be at waist height. They cost €20. The same goes for window boxes.
