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FIVE WAYS TO SAVE WATER WITH HANGING BASKETS
Hanging baskets are notoriously thirsty and can drink copious amounts of
water during a dry spell. I’ve limited myself to just one outside the
front door because I can’t bear to see all that water dripping from it
after I've watered it!
Here are some tips to reduce water usage, but still enjoy hanging
baskets in your garden.
Lining a hanging basket
The most important thing is to line a hanging basket to prevent water
loss and help with moisture retention. You can indulge in some recycling
for this! Instead of buying moss which isn’t very environmentally
friendly, use an old wool jumper! Line the bottom of your basket with a
black bin liner and place the jumper on top before filling with compost.
Water Your Baskets in the Morning and/or Evening
Timing is important when it comes to watering hanging baskets. If you
water at the hottest part of the day, most of the water will evaoprate.
By watering early morning and late evening, you’ll get more of the water
to the roots of the plants and have less evaporation.
Reuse plastic bottles - and make them into Slow Water Feeders
A great way to reuse plastic drinking bottles is to make them into
funnels. Cut a bottle in half and stick the next down into the soil.
Water through the cut end and the funnel will direct the water to the
roots, rather than it running down the sides.
Catch the drips - by planting underneath your hanging baskets or placing
pots below them
We have a couple more planters underneath our hanging basket so most of
the water that drips out of the basket doesn’t get wasted - it waters
the troughs below! Try moving a thirsty plant underneath your hanging
basket and water it for free.
Harvest rainwater
Every gardener should have at least one water butt (rain barrel) in
their garden to maximise on rainfall. using stored rainwater is not as
wasteful as using drinking water from the taps and plants prefer rain
water anyway. If you do not have a water butt, then use old cooking
water or bath and washing up water. A little eco friendly detergent on
flowers in your hanging basket is fine and will do no harm.
How could you enjoy hanging baskets while keeping water conservation in
mind? Email us and tell us how.
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