Horticulture : News
DATE: August 10, 2010
HARDIN COUNTY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE
201 Peterson Drive
Elizabethtown, Kentucky 42701-9370
BY: Amy Aldenderfer
County Extension Agent for Horticulture
Curing the Hanging Basket Doldrums
Do your hanging baskets look a little peaked? Are they suffering from the summer doldrums? A regular diet of plant food and water will rejuvenate sick hanging baskets in no time.
Fertility is a common problem because plants have utilized all the nutrients from the soilless media in the baskets. Most baskets and, for that matter any potted plant, need fertilizer every one to two weeks. Use a houseplant fertilizer according to the label directions. In this case, the adage: a little will do, but a little more is better, does not hold true. Too much fertilizer in a soilless mix will cause salts to build up and actually pickle the roots. This happens even faster when the baskets or pots dry out between waterings.
Speaking of water, hanging baskets also need to be watered frequently.
How often you say? That all depends on the amount of shade the plant receives. A basket that receives full sun most of the day may need watering once in the morning and then again in the evening. A plant under a tree or awning may only need watering every two or three days. A good way to check is to lift the basket slightly; a dry basket is a lot lighter than a wet one. Regardless of how often you water, be sure to water them thoroughly each time; water should drip from the drainage holes.
Another way to rejuvenate hanging baskets is to cut the plants back. Shearing one-half to one-third of the stem length will force new growth causing the plants to branch out more and flower again. In this situation, fertilizing is critical because cutting back removes nutrients stored in the plant=s tissues. Petunias and impatiens are two varieties that respond well to shearing.
Breeders have responded to the popularity of hanging baskets. Newer varieties are more compact, more blooms, and less maintenance than the old stand-bys. Petunias are a perfect example. Older petunia varieties needed to be dead-headed to rebloom; but some of the new ones like the Wave series (i.e. Purple, Pink) don’t.
People like hanging baskets because they are convenient. For $10-$15, maybe as much as $30, you can get a big, full plant that provides a splash of color. You don’t have to dig a hole or pull weeds. The best thing is: if the basket starts looking bad, you have the option to simply throw it away.
Look for the Master Gardeners in the Ag Village at the Heartland Festival on Aug 28th.
Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.
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