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container plants prematurely dying
Mozza3
Posts: 35
Hello, I'm normally quite successful at summer container plants, but I chose different ones this year, and they looked great... Now they've gone really tatty. Does anyone know if I can rejuvinate them? I was thinking of trying to cut them back a bit, but maybe they're totally done. I'd appreciate the advice!
I'll put photos on when I'm the laptop!
I'll put photos on when I'm the laptop!
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Posts
Hi, What are the plants that you have planted and want to cut back - as you may have to do different things depending upon what you have planted.
Hi,
I've put petunia in the hanging basket...and can't remember the others!!
Hopefully this pic will show you! Ignore the sunflower - that was planted by my daughter!
Deadhead! Take off all the spent flowerheads and seedheads and then feed with a tomato feed.
Plants grow to reproduce - make seed. When they make seed they then have no reason to make more flowers. By removing dead flower heads and seed pods, this will stimulate the plants into making new flowers....deadhead regularly to keep the flowers coming and the plants tidy.
The window box looks too shallow and small and will thus dry out too quickly. I would invest in a much larger window box.
The hanging basket is also in the way!
It's done well though, I've just chosen the wrong plants I think!
I could never get window boxes right. I tried the formal evergreen in middle with smaller annuals at each side. The symmetry is pleasing but over time boring. Trailing plants work well but in summer greenfly seem to feast and lurk too well and you can get too much growth. Then the continual watering that is required. I bought a much deeper zinc trough and it can still get dry but no where near as bad. I have plants that like dry conditions in my troughs/window boxes now.
As hanging baskets and window boxes are quite small they need lots of watering, trimming, deadheading and feeding. Looks as though you have some antirrhinums that need deadheading in the window box. They should flower again when deadheaded. I don't think the choice of plants is wrong, certainly not the petunias, it's a question of maintenance. I've given up on hanging baskets because of the watering, I use bigger pots on the ground.