The plants have been in their containers for a very long time by the time you buy them in the early spring. In most situations, months, not just weeks, are being discussed.
Growers start plants months in advance in greenhouses in order to get container plants to blossom in the early spring. occasionally as early as January or December.
When you first pick them up, they are strong, thriving, and in bloom, yet their roots have already begun to run out of room. And when that occurs, your plants’ long-term health is in serious peril.
Signs of Early Trouble And How To Take ActionHow To Revive Hanging Basket Plants
The pass-through irrigation phase is the first indication of problems. In other words, as soon as you water, it immediately passes through and out the bottom of the plant.
It’s obvious when a plant is root-bound. The plants can no longer take up nutrients or water at this time. Regardless of how frequently or how much you give them.
In addition, the little soil that is still in the container has long since delivered all of its nutrients to the plant and is now utterly devoid of any. Check out The Best Way To Fertilize Hanging Baskets in our article.
Your plants may be suffering, weak, and becoming paler, but it is in no way an excuse to get rid of them.
There is, in fact, a quick and easy technique to give them a brand-new life. Bring your landscape a ton of color at the same time. And no, we’re not referring to transplanting them in a bigger container; rather, we’re referring about placing them directly into your flowerbeds!
How To Replant Hanging Baskets & Potted Plants Into The Landscape For A Second LifeHow To Revive Hanging Basket Plants
It only takes two easy steps to revitalize an old, worn-out plant. providing it with additional space and nutrient-rich, new soil.
Unfortunately, many hanging basket and container plants grow so enormous by mid-summer that it is almost impossible to locate a container that would work for them.
The process of continually buying new soil and bigger pots can be time-consuming and expensive in addition to being a lot of work. And regrettably, those plants that were repotted can swiftly outgrow their new container.
And the solution to this problem is to plant your ailing hanging baskets and containers right into your flowerbeds. It’s quick and simple, and it gives your environment an instant boost of color and texture!
Replanting Hanging Baskets Directly Into FlowerbedsHow To Revive Hanging Basket Plants
To start, take the potted plant out of its container. Most of the time, plants that are root-bound can be simply removed from their container.
Next, gently separate the root ball, working your way up. Normally, you may complete this procedure with your hands, but if they are tightly bound, you may need to slice them loose slightly using a sharp blade or knife. This step is crucial when replanting hanging baskets because it enables roots and shoots to grow into their new surroundings.
Next, create a hole in the ground that is 1-1/2 times the depth and twice as wide as the root ball. Refill the hole with equal parts compost and soil, positioning the plant’s base parallel to the soil line.
When replanting, make sure to deeply hydrate the roots and cover with mulch to help retain moisture. This is the ideal moment to stimulate your plants with some liquid fertilizer while replanting.
Compost tea or liquid fertilizer can be applied to the plant to help it swiftly regenerate and form new roots into the surrounding soil. For the first few weeks, give the plants plenty of water, and fertilizer should be applied again every few weeks.
Your once-depressed plant will quickly adjust and take off, which will astound you. Here’s to giving your summer hanging basket plants a second chance at life!
Can a hanging plant be repotted?
Repot your hanging basket into a bigger container for the best results. Your plant can grow bigger and be taken care of more easily in a larger container. The optimum time to water is in the morning.
Can hanging baskets be reused?
There is no way to merely save and reuse used potting soil from year to year. Over the course of a growing season, the soil in potted plants loses the majority of its structure and nutrients.
There just isn’t enough energy in the soil to support healthy plant growth if it is simply conserved and used the following year.
However, it can be strengthened and prepared for use the following spring by adding a few essential, potent nutrients and building a “potting soil compost pile” that overwinters. Here’s how to go about it:
Creating A Potting Soil Compost Pile
You may always add your used potting soil, spent plants, and old hanging basket and container soil to your usual compost pile, but by making a special “potting soil pile,” you can preserve the potting soil mix intact until next spring.
You are refilling the soil as a whole rather than creating real compost. This preserves the uniformity and airy framework required to produce excellent potting soil.
Use a small area of your flowerbed or garden, a huge drum, or even a garbage can to collect the components. Make sure the pile has a drainage system so it doesn’t get too saturated or damp.
The first step in recycling your hanging basket and container soil is to finely chop the leaves and stems. We chop ours with a bag attachment on our lawnmower.
The plant matter may be dead or decaying, but it still contains nutrients that can be returned to the soil. And the quicker it decomposes into the potting soil, the smaller you cut it up.
The soil and roots from all of the pots and containers are then broken up and mixed with the shreds of greenery. The pile is then supplemented with a couple 5 gallon buckets of shredded leaves and grass clippings.
They are not only easily accessible in the fall, but they also provide a lot of structure and nutrition. Even better, they quickly decompose in the pile when finely shred.
The Power of Fresh Compost
The pile is completed by the addition of new compost. As a general rule, add 10 percent or so of fresh compost to the total volume of the pile.
The potting soil gains strength from the fresh compost as well as from the bacteria and microorganisms it contains. They in turn aid in the fast breakdown of the shred plant material. (View: How To Create Excellent Compost In The Fall.)
Maintaining The Potting Soil Pile Through WinterHow To Recycle Hanging Baskets & Container Plants
We also add a few dozen finely crushed egg shells and used coffee grounds to the mixture during the course of the fall and winter. These provide much more nutrients and, like before, decompose swiftly.
We rotate our “pile a couple times each week as the weather permits. The organic matter heats up and decomposes more quickly, similar to a compost pile, as oxygen is introduced by rotation.
By spring, the pile once again resembles exceptionally rich potting soil because all of the additional additives were kept to a minimum.
Reusing The Potting Soil In Spring- How To Recycle Hanging Basket & Container Soil
We are ready to use the mixture as soon as spring arrives! We use it to pot up our fresh hanging basket and container plants as well as in our seed starting mixture.
If it needs to be lightened up at all, it can be used straight or combined with 25% new potting soil. We usually add a few cups of worm castings to every 5 gallon bucket of potting soil we use, just like we do with our handmade potting soil.
When it comes to boosting soil, they are simply amazing. They are practically every plant’s ideal slow-release nutrient. (Worm Castings, Product Link)
Here’s to recycling your hanging basket and container soil so you may grow even more with less money spent the next year! Mary and Jim, happy gardening.
My hanging plant is withering; why?
So, is it actually possible to salvage and revive suffering hanging baskets? Of course it is!
Recognizing the particular problem and acting quickly to address it are the keys to success. And when it comes to hanging baskets, those problems are typically attributable to a stressed-out and overgrown root system.
The good news is that it’s less difficult to fix than you may anticipate. even for growers who are new. And before you know it, those plants will be flourishing and blossoming!
Diagnosing The ProblemHow To Save A Struggling Hanging Basket
Make sure your plant is not merely suffering from a lack of care as a first step. Whether it be a surplus or deficit of nutrients, or both.
Applying the proper amount of fertilizer and watering according to a set, regular schedule will readily solve such problems. (See: Hanging Basket Fertilization Tips For Success)
But in many situations, even the best-maintained hanging baskets start to deteriorate quickly by the start of the summer. Furthermore, no amount of fertilizer or water will be of any assistance to these plants.
Undoubtedly, it can be frustrating. Particularly for gardeners who have put in a lot of effort to tend to their plants.
Mid-Summer Hanging Basket Failure
Early to mid-summer, when a well-kept plant suddenly starts to lose its beauty, an undersized container with growing roots is nearly always to blame.
It is nearly impossible for a plant’s roots to absorb water or nutrients once they have coiled up firmly.
Water simply flows through the basket when this occurs. As well as any fertilizers that are used on the plant. Unfortunately, no amount of soaking will, at this point, enable the plant to absorb enough of either to flower, let alone endure for a long time.
When hanging baskets are bought in the early spring from nurseries and greenhouses, this is actually pretty typical.
These plants are grown as early as December in order to make them showy and beautiful for clients. And by the middle of the summer, they had simply outgrown their container.
However, whatever you do, don’t get rid of that plant! Despite the fact that it might appear hopeless, there are two straightforward ways to revive your plants’ flowering.