With Mother's Day behind us, I know that a lot of you have new hanging baskets. These lovely hanging containers, filled with trailing annual plants can be a real joy to own and a real burden to care for. It's a challenge to keep them looking good through bouts of heat and hot drying winds. I have a few tips that may help make the process a little easier. To begin with consider the watering requirements of plastic or moss lined containers as they are hung from overhead brackets. Don't think that you can miss a day without watering! The plants in the containers are usually rootbound, they may look fresh and lovely with lots of long trailers, but many were potted in February in a warm greenhouse. These potted plants may have already run out of soil to hold excess moisture, the root ball has become nothing more than a mass of fine roots. The first thing that I suggest for holding them over and actually making them better is to add as much potting soil to the top of the container as it will hold. Overflow of excess soil will wash out with initial waterings but the little that stays will give the plants a boost and help maintain more moisture. I need to add that not all potting soils are alike. Most are soiless or peat based with little to no fertilizer. We use "Pro-Mix", a soiless potting soil that provides a charge of fertilizer that will last for about 6 weeks and will breath new life into your hanging baskets. Adding fresh potting soil should become a regular occurrence, something you may want to do several times during the summer. Each time you top dress you will see a real surge in the growth of your plants.

Removing spent flowers is also important, finished flowers develop into seed pods and both need removed to encourage more flowers. The seed pod looks like a swollen green capsule, usually located at the end of a stem or where the flower used to be. Pinch these off and don't be afraid to pinch off some of the stem to encourage branching of the flowering stem. Lastly fertilize. Hanging baskets bought from growers are usually fertilized with each watering. Taking them home and giving them nothing more than a regular watering is like withdrawing their food. I recommend a diluted liquid fertilizer twice a month. You will see a real boost in growth in the weeks that follow after each application. The dosage can be given at half strength, in fact greenhouse growers often use a rather diluted application on a day to day basis.

Your hanging basket can develop into something that only gets better for the next few months. Hanging baskets aren't much different than containers of flowering annuals, there will be waves of color often followed by a resting period. By following the simple rules of proper light, water, pinching and fertilizing, you will enjoy your hanging basket for many months.