Best medium for moisture retention in hanging baskets and pots
piper101
16 years ago
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bullthistle
16 years agoRelated Discussions
Best annuals for hanging baskets?
Comments (7)I'm trying a coconut liner hanging basket this year. Besides the normal issues with containers, with this coco liner, I noticed the water drains out very fast, contrary to what I had thought about the liner. Another problem that others have said is that, what water does remain in the soil, gets wicked by the liner itself, so that the soil gets drier than usual. You could try some purslane or moss rose or a kind of sedum that has some bit of trailing, such as sedum autumn joy. You can also have more traditional plants in hanging baskets, but just know that you'll need to water in more regularly with this liner basket. The direction of sun exposure also can play a factor, and morning sun would be quite different from afternoon or evening sun....See MoreMiracle Gro 'Moisture Control' Potting Soil
Comments (37)Hi aptosca - It said - for potted plants. How are you to know that doesn't mean house plants? That was one of your questions. The terms potted plants and house plants are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference. All houseplants are potted, but not all potted plants are grown in the house; many people have potted plants outside, on patios and porches, or summering their houseplants outside, or just growing-on plants for size or whatever - many reasons. Plants grown outside in pots tend to dry out faster than plants grown indoors, and that's why some people prefer "water retentive" soils for outdoor potted plants. But one thing is true outdoors or indoors - wet soil that never dries out makes for wet roots, and wet roots make for dead plants. As you can see from reading all of this thread, there's a lot of 'different strokes for different folks.' It's one reason that you find so much conflicting information if you do much research. One thing that's absolutely true, though, is that if roots stay too wet, plants die. But... That's not always true, either, because many plants are incredibly, amazingly adaptable. Species that are known to hate "wet feet" sometimes adapt to living in a constantly wet - I mean soaking wet - pot. I know, I have one. This is another source of much conflicting information. My advice to you would be to try what seems reasonable to you, what seems to fit your own requirements best. If things don't work as well as you would like, try something else. Even if you are satisfied with results, go ahead and try something different, just as an experiment. That's one reason you never get tired of working with plants, once you get into it....See MoreInteresting results with potting medium
Comments (23)Stitz - that stuff is called coconut coir fibre. It's the stuff that Q uses before it gets chopped up into a peat-moss like consistancy. You're referring to stuff right? I've always been curious as to how well this stuff fares with orchids, so it's interesting to read about your applications. The University here just erected a 'green wall' where they have mats of this stuff acting as the mounting material on a drip wall for some epiphytic plants...too early to tell whether it works but it's an interesting idea (especially in the absence of other sustainable mounting mediums like epiweb or treefern) WC8 - I recently bought some of these coconut chunks from a guy to experiment with...after looking at them, I surmised that they would soak up and hold water better than cork or wood planks, which would make them the PERFECT mounting medium in my conditions (I underwater my mounts). Here's a (badly exposed) photo I tried to take this morning of the Aerangis kotschyana that I mounted on it about 2 months ago. It's newest root growth has hugged the coconut, so I think it likes it It does not soak up as much water as I expected it would. I think it's due to the thickness of the material - it takes A LOT of soaking to get water deep into it. Nonetheless, I think it is quite nice to use and holds water better than cork or wood planks, which allows me to avoid using pads of sphagnum on the mount....See Morebest potting medium
Comments (1)Hello Lynn, After growing Pelargoniums for several years I do not regard myself as an expert. This problem has become worse in UK because of the reluctance of many growers to use peat. The peat substitutes most commonly used, in UK, are coir and bark both of which are very moisture retentive. If you do not wish to use peat based potting compost then I suggest that you use sterilised loam-based composts and horticultural grit to improve drainage. Do not allow your plants to become waterlogged. Regarding cuttings; I have used several different media to root pellie cuttings without problems including peat discs (Jiffy 7s)or sterilised loam/perlite mixtures. Two important points: 1) Do not tent or close-up the cuttings 2) Do not use rooting powder or gel, this can cause pellie cuttings to rot. Hope this helps Ron...See Morepiper101
16 years agojustaguy2
16 years agogigisgarden
16 years agocalistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
16 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
16 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
16 years agoPepprGrowr
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9 years ago
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)