Water
Food
Light
If any of these three are short or missing your garden won’t look it’s best. This is really well illustrated with a summer hanging basket.
Your newly grown or bought plants are planted in compost which is held inside of the basket. If the plants don’t receive enough water they will fail to thrive. the water you give to the plants is the only serious way that the plants can draw in the nutrients, the food, required for healthy growth. In effect dry plants are starving plant too. Dry & starving plants are also more likely to be attacked by pests & diseases. Firstly enough water is essential for plant health.
If you only water & don’t feed then any nutrients in the compost is quickly used up & the plants starve this way too. Secondly enough of the correct food & water is needed.
If you plant your basket & hanging it in a dark shed the plants will stretch to find light but more importantly even with the correct food & water without light photosynthesis can’t take place & the plants will fail also. Photosynthesis is the use of the suns energy to convert the plant food into growth. The Third element of light with food & water gives great results.
Watering hanging baskets can be tricky. The biggest mistake is not to water often enough. Normally in summer your hanging baskets should be watered at less once a day, either in the morning or evening. In hotter weather twice a day is essential. Fitting an automatic watering system such as the Hozelock range might be worth the investment if you have many baskets.
Choosing the right compost makes a great deal of difference. Modern container composts include water holding agents that suck up any spare water the compost can’t hold. The roots of your plants can then draw on his secret water supply as they need it. You can add a similar product to your normal compost mixing it evenly though the medium. A water holding additive such as Miracle Gro Moisture Control Gel is an essential tool for your gardening.
A common mistake is thinking that the summer’s rain is sufficient for a great basket – it’s not. Your hanging basket might be on the drier side of you home out of the prevailing weather patterns plus the foliage act as an umbrella over the compost shedding the water.
Feed your baskets with Gro-sure Slow Release Plant Food.
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