Hanging baskets.

[maggie01]

I have just planted up two easy fill hanging baskets and I am pleased with the results so far. Obviously I wont leave them outside at night for a bit but I always fall down on the watering side.

How often should they be watered and how can you tell if they do need watereing. I know sometimes the top of the compost looks dry but that doesn't mean it is dry further down.

[boxtops]

We water ours every day when the weather improves - ours are outside already.

[Prudie]

I do mine up to 3 times a week, more if it's hot. Mine are out too but I suppose it depends what you've got in them.

[Brinjal]

I take mine down and put them in a bath of water to soak and give them a good water once a week a stick my finger in to check through out the week to see if they need a top up.

[maggie01]

Thanks. It is drizzling here at the moment so they are outside getting a shower. They are mostly begonias. A couple of astromerias and some bacopa and trailing lobelia but if I do say so myself. They look rather nice. Hope I can keep them that way. Oh! I have also put some water retaining gell in them so hope that helps.

[woofgang]

that water retaining gel is brilliant stuff, You can also get bits of kit to turn a plastic bottle into a slow watererer
http://www.amazon.co....-SPIKES/dp/B002SUNIQI
use a 500 ml bottle and shove it into the middle of the basket to keep it topped up. You can add very dilute plant food to the bottle too. Another good trick, if the basket is a basketty one and not one with a sloid base is to put a circle of plastic in the bottom to hold a small reservoir of water rather than letting it all drip straight out again.