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Tips from the growers at Silverstone ....
The following is meant to be a guide only. Personal past
experiences along with geographical location should be
considered.
Watering Hanging Baskets
Whether it is a 10" or a 12" hanging basket, watering
requirements will be the same. Religiously water them once a
day, applying enough so that you see a small trickle of water
drain out of the bottom. This shows that you have thoroughly
soaked the soil. It will now take the plant 24 hours to cycle
through that watering no matter how sunny, warm or windy the
conditions are. (That's one of the benefits to a Silverstone
basket--the soil used is high quality with excellent water holding
capabilities.) It is very important however, that you keep the
same schedule for watering your baskets. Water in the morning
or in the evening, but never water one evening and then right
away again the next morning. That's not enough time for the
plant to cycle through a thorough watering. Also, lift the basket
just after watering it. Note how heavy it feels. When your
basket goes through periods of rain, you may need to water it
not by schedule, but rather by how heavy it feels. A long,
soaking rain shower will usually mean a break in your watering
schedule....
Watering Large Hanging Baskets and Containers
Large containers, like our 30" window box and our 16" hanging
baskets, will require fewer applications of water. Actually, the
same method of watering will be used as with a 10" or 12"
basket, the only difference being in how often you do it.
Consider the fact that a larger container has more soil volume,
which means more water-holding capacity. It will take longer for
the plants to cycle through a thorough watering. You'll find that
a larger container will not need to be watered every day,
perhaps only every other day, or in some cases every third or
fourth day. Again, this is where the weight of the container will
help you decide. After the initial watering, note how heavy it is.
(It's heavy!) The next time you think you need to water, feel
it...Does it really need more water? Similarly, note how heavy it
is when it is dry and in need of a thorough watering. Now you
have something to go by when cool, cloudy, and rainy weather
affects your schedule.
Watering Plants in the Ground
Plants that are in the ground require less upkeep from you. The
roots can spread and go very deep as they are not bound by
container sidewalls. The most important time to keep them well
watered is when they are freshly planted. They have not had
the time to shoot out new roots to search for water and
nutrients. Therefore, you are the parent until they make a
foundation of healthy roots.
First off, the soil in which you plant should have good drainage.
You don't want to plant something in soggy, muck-type soil.
Unless the plants are bred for that environment, they'll simply
drown in too much water. A good way to monitor soil moisture is
to squeeze a fistful of dirt in your hand. The dirt should
somewhat stick together, but never should you see water
pouring out as with wringing a wet sponge. Conversely, you
don't want to plant in pure sand because there would be too
much drainage. You physically couldn't keep them watered
enough. Also, the soil should never appear dusty, or powdery,
or so dry that cracks appear. (Usually, you'll see the plant
wilting by then).
Watering Summary
Always remember that weather plays a significant role in how
often plants need water. Over-watering does occur with some
folks, but drying out is by far a more common problem. Do not
allow your plants to wilt. Although they may survive,
performance of that plant has been compromised. It will take
time to recover from the damage. Keep in mind that rain will
make a plant require less water and wind will always make a
plant dry out faster. When do you get thirsty? When it's cool
and damp, or when it's sunny, hot, and breezy? Exercise some
common sense and you'll find that keeping your baskets and
large containers watered correctly is really not that difficult.
Good luck !
Fertilizing Hanging Baskets and Large Containers
Maintaining a plant's health by using fertilizer requires minimal
effort. You just have to do it. Think of any product you buy,
whether it is a new car or a new piece of furniture, it will
inevitably require a certain amount of maintenance. Plants are
no different. When you purchase a basket or container from us,
it's new, healthy, and well fed. After one week at your home,
the fertilizer levels within the soil start to decline. It's time to get
in there and fertilize !
We like to fertilize two different ways: 1) by a water-soluble
fertilizer, like the Proven Winner Water Soluble that we stock,
and 2) by way of a time-release fertilizer pellet(s), known as
Osmacote. You may be wondering why two methods are
needed and the reason is quite simple. Most people want to
make caring for their plants as easy as possible. By using both
the time-release and the water-soluble, you've got all food
requirements covered for the year. The time-release is placed
on the soil surface just as the label suggests, and will slowly
and evenly leach nutrients into the soil every time you water.
The water-soluble is then applied once per week as an
additional kick of nutrition that the time-release can't provide.
Think of it as an automatic dog-feeder with an occasional milk
bone to help build strong teeth...
Fertilizing Plants in the Ground
The methods of fertilizing landscape plantings are similar, but
not exactly the same as with containers. It's extremely
beneficial to use a slow-release fertilizer because each time it
rains, those fertilizer pellets do their job. Nutrients are slowly
leached back into the soil and the plants use it up. In most
cases, plants in the ground need few water-soluble fertilizer
applications; maybe once a month.
Fertilizer Summary
All plants can survive with little or no feed. But no plant (or
person, for that matter) can perform at its best without proper
nutrition. If you put forth the effort, your plants will flourish and
have more flower-power than you've ever seen. You'll be the
envy of the whole neighborhood ! You've spent your
hard-earned money on our quality plants...now make your
investment pay off. You can do it !!
300 South M-140
Watervliet, MI 49098 Phone: 269-463-5245
