10 Hanging Basket Mistakes Too Many Gardeners Make

I was standing in the midway gangway of my local garden meat holding a tray full of plant . After having spent the better part of fifteen instant peruse the hanging plants section and ideate unlike plant combining for a unexampled hanging basket , I had piece a pleasing excerpt of the classic million bell shape ( Calibrachoa)in various warm colors . I had also chosen a pre - mixed pot of petunia and verbena .

I was satisfied with my choices . Or so I cogitate . Because as before long as I set up center on it , my deal contact for a gorgeous pot ofSolanum jasminoides(also known as potato vine , although it has nothing to do with actual potatoes ) . Surely it will be the perfect addition to my give ear handbasket , right ?

Let ’s smoothly segway to the theme of this article : hang handbasket misunderstanding . Because I had just made one by going off - script and buying a flora that would definitely not be suitable for that purpose .

I chose hanging basket plant classics, but it still took me a while to decide.

Mistake #1: You’re choosing the wrong plants for hanging baskets.

Let ’s start with the misapprehension that I was make . I go shopping armed with a list of plant suited for hanging baskets . I did n’t ignore the leaning , or my previous noesis of designing hang basket , but I thought I could improvise on the spot .

That ’s how I end up buy the potato vine , which is a climber , not a hanger works . My error did n’t fracture the bank since the extra industrial plant was quite small , but now I have to buy another large pot and find a suitable blot for theSolanum jasminoides . ( Having to find‘just one more pot’seems to be a recurring theme in the life history of a gardener . )

So before you put together your hanging field goal , make trusted you tot plant that are fit for this purpose . A few of the most popular plants for field goal include

And while we ’re talking about suitable plant life , it ’s best if you avoid using plants that develop too marvelous such as cornflowers , poppy and snapdragon . They will fall through over in no time , unless you ’re using a miniature cultivar .

Mistake 2: You’re using the wrong size basket.

I ’ve worded this ambiguously ( what ’s “ wrong ” anyways ? ) because it ’s very immanent . The “ wrong ” size could be one that ’s too small for your plant life and your clime . The trouble with small hanging baskets is that they dry out very rapidly , peculiarly if you place them in full sunlight . So if you ’re not stupefy enough rainwater or if you ’re imbed athirst plants , you might want to advance .

Another problem with using small baskets is that there ’s no room for enough potting grime . plant need soil to anchor their roots in , and miserable base growth will usually inhibit industrial plant growth .

But if you only have outer space for a small basket , that ’s better than no basket , right ?

I chose hanging basket plant classics, but it still took me a while to decide.

On the other paw , large hanging basket are also a job , due to how heavy they get when they ’re saturate with weewee .

The basket that I ’m planting this summer is mid - sized , about 15 column inch ( 38 cm ) in diameter at the top . It ’s not too large to be a trouble , nor too small to crinkle up well .

Mistake 3: You’re not lining your baskets.

Luckily , I have n’t made this mistake in a longsighted prison term . But I do remember making it in a paroxysm of scotch DIY twelvemonth ago . I had find a ace precious colander for a dollar and , with the help of some twine and a picayune knot work , turned it into a hanging basket .

No , I did n’t line the cullender , why do you ask ? As a consequence , all the water drain out as soon as I poured it . By the closing of that summer , I was so done with watering that it put me off hanging baskets for class . You live , you memorise , you line your field goal .

These days , I use coco coir mat to line my hang baskets . Coco coir is a natural fiber and a byproduct of processing cocoa palm husks . straight , it come with its own environmental impact since it ’s imported from so far away . That ’s why I check that to treat it well and make it last . I houseclean it , dry it and put in it indoors over the winter months . So far , I have n’t had to dispose of any of my older coir mat . But when the time comes , I ’ll just compost them .

ThisSolanum jasminoideswas an impulse purchase that wasn’t suitable for hanging baskets.

Coco chaff mats are also very versatile . When I went shopping for this hanging hoop , I could n’t incur the right size to match the wire field goal I already had . So I just bought a larger lusterlessness , drench it well to make it more malleable and creased it a scrap to fit the basket .

Mistake 4: You’re not using enough potting soil.

First , let ’s make this well-defined . You have to utilise potting soil for containers . You should invalidate using pure compost or dirt from your garden . But ensure you use enough soil for the size of it of the basket .

Remember that the potting dirt will be more compress due to gravity playing its part . As the basket sways in the steer and gets rained on , the potting grease will compress , leaving some room at the top . Make a note to fit the ground every calendar month or so and top it up , if needed .

I seek to prevent compaction , as much as possible , when I’mplantingthe hang basket . I do this by add a smattering of perlite ( or any other fabric that ameliorate aeration ) to the bottom of the field goal before I tot any plant to it . I then mix the perlite in with a light layer of soil .

Million bells (Calibrachoa) comes in a large variety of colors. It’s one of the most popular plants for baskets.

Mistake 5: You’re letting the hanging baskets get too dry.

This could be a outcome of forgetfulness ( it sometimes is , for me ) . But it could also be the result of a compounding of misapprehension 2 , 3 and 4 . A small unlined wall hanging basket with petty soil in it will dry up quicker .

I ’ve found that this also happens when the basket is placed in a location that is n’t very approachable , either because it ’s too mellow , too out of the style or too far away from the other plants that you ’re watering .

As someone who ’s not very height - endowed ( aka , I ’m short ) , I made indisputable to rate my hanging basket somewhere I could easy contact to water them . I wo n’t plagiarize a tearing can above my head , of grade ; but I can well reach the baskets while declare a bottle of water supply .

If in doubt, start with a mid-sized basket.

Mistake 6: You’re hanging your plant baskets in the wrong place.

We ’ve already touched upon this , so get ’s talk about a few more scenario that we should render to avoid when hanging container full of plants .

Avoid place baskets justly below a gutter that ’s prostrate to overflowing in a summertime violent storm . quash spots where the container will sway in the wind too much . Finally , keep baskets away from in high spirits - dealings surface area where you might just find your forefront on them .

Mistake 7: You’re cramming the plants too much.

There are two ways to make this mistake . I almost made it by literally add too many plants to the arrangement before I realized that the potato vine would n’t be suited for a hanging basket .

Another cause we ’re bone too many plants is because we ’re not take into consideration the size of the mature plant . This is a usual booby trap when we ’re creating hanging baskets with starter plants early in the season .

Keep in mind that most plant life will originate and elaborate a bit more when they reach maturity . Luckily , there ’s enough room in hanging baskets for the plants to spill obliquely by blueprint . But the better you plan to optimize your space , the longer your container will look brisk and full .

My pro tip: Use an empty pot as a base to keep the basket upright when you plant it.

Mistake 8: You’re not maximizing the space.

The reverse of the mistake I note above is not maximizing the blank space available . When I was planting my basket , I first thought that I would n’t have enough way for the pinkish babe ’s breath ( Gypsophila ) . However , the plant was so full of bud just waiting to open that I knew I had to fit it in .

First , I watered the basket to root the soil . Then I carefully chip away at some of the soil around the roots of the baby ’s breathing time . After placing it into the gaps in the basket , I water again . Finally , succeeder ! The genus Gypsophila fit perfectly .

Mistake 9: You’re not pruning, trimming or deadheading.

Just like regular flower pots , hanging baskets also demand a minute of a tidy up every now and then . We ’ve all seen baskets that attend a little minute worse for wear at the end of the season . But do n’t wait until the time of year is over to do some light maintenance . Take down the container every calendar month , splay it around and do some pruning and deadheading .

In my hoop , the verbena that came in the same pot as the bright gamboge petunias require a haircut soon after planting . I deadheaded all the spent flower heads , but left most of the verbena plant in the hoop to bloom again . I also pluck million Alexander Bell flowers that have dried out to further the works to bloom even more .

Mistake 10: Putting too much weight on your hook.

This often befall when you upgrade the basket but do n’t elevate the dangling mechanics . So while a small planting basket might hang safely enough on a smaller hook , the larger and heavier the basket , the sturdy the lure needs to be .

I was planning on placing this basket in our little summerhouse , but hang the container on a hybridizing beam would leave it either too far in the shade or direct in a walkway path . So in Holy Order to hang it at a niche spot , we needed to make a wall - mounted arm hanger .

There are many of these for sale , some made of iron or atomic number 13 ; but with plenty of scrap wood and hardware lying around , it seemed like a thriftlessness of fourth dimension and money to go out looking for the perfect hanger .

Coco coir is a sturdy and reusable basket liner.

With just a few unretentive pieces of Natalie Wood , a few wind up nail and a piece of ass hook , we fashioned a uncompromising wooden arm . The triangle Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe gives it plenty of strength to palm the basket while reaching out just enough to give it some distance to swing .

I spill a lot about error in this clause , so it may sound like you might as well not bother with hanging basket . I think get mistakes is one of the best ways to read about plants and horticulture . So go ahead and institute that give ear basket . You have all summer long to enjoy the yield of your creativity .