I recently bought a hanging plant for out on our condo balcony. I have not a green thumb thing about me. But thought it would be nice to have to sort of brighten the deck since the weather hasnt really gotten nice. I bought it at costco and it diesnt have a tag in it that says even what type of plants they are but I still dont know if i am suppose to feed it other then water and then who often should i water it? I have been only watering it once a week because it hasnt been HOT HOT outside. Our condo faces the east so it gets sun in the morning and so it doesnt get the heat of the day on it just morning warming. So do yuo feed hanging plants and how often? Should I be watering it more then just once a week? Thank you!! Who knew it would be so confusing to take care of a house/outside plant!!
Plants in containers need to be watered every other (10 to 16 oz) day unless it rains on them. Plant food once a month.
As Lia said, Osmocote is a reliable and unconfusing plant food. Just about any plant food you can buy in a small bottle will work, and will tell you how often to use it and in what concentration. Most blooming plants perfom best with regular, light feedings.
Watch your plants to know how often to water. Potted and hanging plants dry out fast when the weather gets hotter. It's common to see slight wilting at the end of a hot or windy day, and that's a sign that the pot is drying out a bit. But if you see wilting early in the day, the plants are at serious risk. Water them generously.
If the soil dries too much in really hot weather, it can be hard to get it to accept water again. If water seems to just run off or through the pot without soaking in, try setting the whole thing in a big tub of water for an hour to resaturate the soil.
Hi E.,
I don't have a green thumb either, but I love flowers. Watch your plant. When it begins to look droopy, water it. I feed mine about once a month. Something I do is to look online at plants and see if I can find one that looks like mine. Another thing you can do is to call the WSU extension in Vancouver. They know a lot about plants and how to take care of them. Also, you might go to a plant retailer--not Fred Meyer or Home Depot--try Yard-n-Garden in Vancouver or I am sure there are come nurserys in the Portland area. Those folks love plants and are usually very willing to chat. It's not a bad way to spend and hour on a sunny afternoon.
Good Luck!
K.
Hey, I am pretty sure the pot you bought was a partial sun/full sun mix, so your location is fine. The plant most likely has some fertilizer in it, so you don't HAVE to feed it, but a once to twice a month feeding can help the plants do their best. Once the weather gets warmer, you will likely have to water your pot daily, maybe every other day....your plants will look stressed/limp, and the soil very dry if you've gone too long. For now, once a week should be OK, but watch the plants and they'll let you know if they'd like more!
Hi - Osmocote makes a fertilizer (pellet style) that you put in and it feeds every time you water. It will last for months.
Depending on the weather and the plants location, watering times change, in the summer I have to water my hanging baskets once a day. As long as you keep an eye on it and don't let it dry out and get droopy once or twice a week is probably fine until it warms up.
Have fun and enjoy your plant.
next time you are in the plant sections look for something that tells you when it is time to water. There are little teracotta worms that you put in the soil and other things as well as automatic waterers. Good luck with your green thumbing!
Usually they require daily water, because they are not in the ground, and their water just drips out. But, you do not want it to get saturated where it is not drinking the water, then it gets rotten in the soil. If they are hardy plants that can go without, then not as much. Just check the soil to see if its dry or not. But, certain plants like fuschia and others need a ton of water. Maybe you could go on a website to identify the flowers that are in there. Good Luck.
My daughter has beautiful outside plants and I cannot believe how she waters them. She soaks them every other day and I would have thought that was too much...but obviously she is doing something right. She has alot of hanging petunias and they are gorgeous. It may make a difference that she has them in the moss covered strawish baskets.
She does not feed hers but every 6 weeks and she uses just the green Miracle plant food.
That is all I know about it. Hope it helps...oh we live in a very dry climate. L.
Watering a hanging plant can be tricky. If you press your finger into the soil and it feels dry, water. Liquid fertilizer, lightly once a week for strong growth, every 2 weeks of slower growth. During the growing season, you really can't get by with less than 1 time a month. Sounds like you have a good location. However, when hot weather arrives, you may have to water 2 times a day. For more information, you might want to contact the Master Gardeners in Roseburg at ###-###-####. If you want to find out what kind of plant you have, take a couple of healthy leaves, or a small spring in to the Master Gardener office in the Courthouse annex and they can I.D. it for you
