How to Plant Hanging Baskets
Planting wire baskets isn't as easy as planting plastic hanging baskets. But whichever type of basket you are planting, begin by choosing the right type of soil. A successful soil mix for hanging baskets must be lightweight and able to retain moisture.
One way to achieve a suitable mix is to start with a bag of high-quality potting mix and add perlite or vermiculite at the ratio of three parts soil mix to one part additive. Perlite and vermiculite both lighten the mix; vermiculite also absorbs and retains water. Both are available at garden supply stores. Mixing in time-release fertilizer granules is a good idea, too.
2
Soak sphagnum moss in water for at least 10 minutes.
Support a round-bottomed basket on a large pot or bucket to keep it upright.
3
Begin to line your basket by laying sheets of dampened moss — about 1 inch thick — along the bottom and halfway up the sides.
The steps for planting a solid basket are similar to those for planting any small container.
4
Loosely fill the basket with soil to just below the moss level, and then resume lining the sides with moss.
Continue right up to the top until the moss covers the rim area. Use plenty of moss so you don’t have any gaps, and fill loosely with more soil until you reach the top.
5
Begin planting the sides by starting near the bottom.
Carefully open a space between the wires and through the moss. Loosen any tangled roots, and insert the roots through the hole and into the moist soil. Use more wads of moss to tuck the plant in securely, and gently bend the wires together above and below the plant.
6
Continue planting the sides.
Allow at least 3 inches between plants as you stagger them evenly around the sides. The more plants you place here, the quicker things can grow together and the less basket you’ll see later on.
7
Plant in the top of the basket.
Space plants evenly with the tallest in the center, allowing at least 3 inches between plants. Set them so that the soil level is slightly below the rim. Again, the fuller you plant the top, the quicker your basket can become a mass of color and texture. Be careful not to plant right over the roots of side plants near the rim. Firm the top plants in, adding more soil as needed but keeping the level below the top of the moss.
8
Attach the supports and hang the basket, and then water until water drains freely.
Replace any moss that may have fallen out, tucking new moss securely around the plants and water daily as plants become established. Hanging baskets dry out faster than most other containers.
Gardening Glossary
annuals
Plants that complete their entire life cycle within one growing season. The plant germinates from seed, grows and blooms, and then produces seed and dies.
Gardening Glossary
biennials
A plant that take two growing seasons to complete its life cycle. It germinates and grows leaves and stems in the first year; produces flowers and fruit (seed) in the second, and then dies.
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bolt
When a plant flowers or produces seed prematurely.
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cold frame
A wooden or concrete block box in which you can grow plants or hold dormant during the cold winter months.
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cole crops
A family of vegetables, including broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, and Brussels sprouts. They thrive in cooler weather.
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complete fertilizer
Any fertilizer that contains all three of the primary nutrients, N-P-K (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium). Phrase is based on regulations governing the fertilizer industry. Does not mean that the fertilizer literally contains everything a plant needs to thrive.
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deadheading
The practice of pinching or cutting off spent flowers
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evaporative-pad humidifier
A humidifier in which fans blow across a moisture-laden pad that sits in a reservoir of water.
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harden off
The process of acclimating plants grown indoors gradually to the brighter light and cooler temperatures of the outside world.
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hardiness
The ability of a plant to survive is called its hardiness.
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humus
A stable end product of organic-matter decomposition that's believed to increase microbial activity in soil, improve soil structure, and enhance the root development of plants.
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Bacillus thuringiensis Bt
An effective bacteria that attacks only the larvae of caterpillar family insects. It is safe to other insects, animals, and humans.
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macronutrients
Mineral nutrients that plants need in the largest quantities: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur.
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mulch
Organic or inorganic material placed over the surface of soil, usually directly over the root zone of growing plants. Used to conserve moisture, kill weed seedlings, modify soil temperature, provide attractive covering to garden beds.
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organic matter
Once-living stuff like compost, sawdust, animal manure, ground bark, grass clippings, and leaf mold (composted tree leaves). Used to enrich soil and improve soil texture.
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perennials
Any plant with a life cycle of three or more years. Herbaceous (non-woody) perennials include flowering plants and herbs, mainly. Woody perennials include trees and shrubs. Longevity depends on the plant and growing conditions.
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pH
The measure of soil's acidity. Soil with low pH means it's too acidic; soil with high pH means it's alkaline. Most plants grow best in soil with a pH value between 6.5 and 7.2. Neutral soils measure 7.
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photosynthesis
The process through which plants take nutrients from the air and from the water in the soil to produce sugars that fuels the plant's growth.
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primary nutrients
Nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium are the three nutrients plants need in the largest quantities.
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root crops
Plants with edible underground roots such as onions, carrots, beets, potatoes, turnips. Most root crops are cold-weather crops.
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self-blanching
A type of cauliflower with leaves that naturally curl over the head and exclude light. Requires cool temperatures for leaves to curl effectively.
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sets
Small onion bulbs, about 1/2-inch wide, that were started from seed the previous year. Grow onion sets with the pointy end up.
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side-dressing
The act of adding a small amount of fertilizer around or "on the side" of plants after they're growing.
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succession planting
Planting small, 2-to-4-foot patches of plants every two weeks throughout the growing season so that you can harvest a crop over an extended period of time.
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thinning
The act of cutting the least robust seedlings in your garden to give the healthier plants more room to grow.
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vining crops
Crops that grow on vines, such as cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, and winter squash. They usually require support (staking, trellising, etc.) to keep them off the ground.
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