This is the time of year when gardeners with container gardens or hanging baskets become frustrated because their spring investment is starting to look pretty shaggy. If we stop and think about it, these plants in containers are living and developing much like any other living thing. Take for instance your lawn, that is living also and if we don’t mow it for 10 days it looks pretty shaggy. The same thing is true for the plants we have growing in baskets or containers. They need attention to keep them looking good...like watering regularly and a steady diet. Some trimming when they start to look straggly, which usually occurs about 4-6 weeks after we have them home. Selected trimming about every 3 weeks will keep them full of blooms when they have food available from weekly fertilizing or a slow release fertilizer that we apply one time for the season.
If you are like many gardeners right about now, your container gardens and baskets are starting to look pretty sad. I know of gardeners that are having this problem so I am sure some of you are experiencing a similar situation. The question that is asked most frequently is, “How often should I water my hanging basket or container garden?” My response is always “when it dries out”. This is like asking “what kind of coat should I wear today”, response: “wear the one that will keep you warm” and that will depend on how cold it is outside. Stop and think about it... plant water needs are seldom the same every day because this depends on several things- temperature, wind, stage and rate of growth. As plants mature in containers and their rate of growth slows down, because they are flowering heavily instead of growing rapidly, they are also becoming “root bound” (the container is full of roots) and they will likely require watering more frequently when it is warmer. If the temperatures become cooler they will not dry out as fast and over-watering can occur causing serious damage to the roots and ultimately this will show up in the tops of the plants with light green and brown leaves. Symptoms of root damage is defoliation because the roots are drowning in too much water or are dried out severely. Let the soil dry out some between waterings and if the plants wilt some that is ok, as long as it isn’t a severe wilt. Fertilizer will not help when the roots are damaged, so keep the soil moist but not saturated and feed regularly (weekly). Imagine if you were drowning and someone offered you a good Philly steak sandwich, you don’t need the sandwich right then, what you need is air, this is true of your plants as well. When you keep them growing then they can use the feed.
So the take away is: keep your plants growing by 1) keeping the soil moderately moist, not soaking wet or too dry. 2) Keep them fed so they keep growing and producing flowers and one easy way to do that is with a slow release fertilizer that feeds for the entire growing season with one application.
Meadow View Growers
www.meadowview.com
