KEEPING your plants alive and well doesn’t have to be a daunting task.
There are simple solutions people with gardens can try that will simplify the watering process and help plants in hanging baskets live longer lives.
Sophie, who runs The Cornish Home account on TikTok, shares gardening advice with her 25,000 followers
The video she posted on March 17, 2022, details a DIY gardening hack that makes a huge difference.
According to Sophie, you’ll need to start by lining your plant hanging basket with fresh soil.
Next, she says to add sponges throughout the soil to help retain extra water.
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Her reason for this? Hanging baskets are notorious for drying out way too quickly.
Sophie says: “You may have to water [your plants] more than once a day, but [the sponges] do help.”
She adds: “Learn from my mistakes. If you’re having white flowers in there, don’t put colored sponges in!”
Using colorful sponges might accidentally turn your white flowers into unexpected colors.
Next, you’ll add slow-releasing fertilizer avoiding a couple of inches near the basket’s edges.
The number of plants you choose to add depends on the size of the hanging basket you’re using.
In Sophie‘s video, she plants three separate types of petunia flowers in the same soil.
Her next tip is to plant the flowers at slight angles giving them a chance to grow tall and tumble in the right directions.
Sophie’s last tip is to get these baskets started around April so they’ll be ready to be beautifully displayed by summertime.
Tons of people in her comment section on TikTok are grateful for the insightful gardening advice.
One person wrote: “OMG, thanks so much for this.”
She responded by saying: “You are more than welcome. Happy to help. Just be cautious of any frost, and they will give you a wonderful display.”
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Another person added: “This is fantastic advice. Thank you so much. Mine fail every year, and I can see now it’s because I don’t feed, water enough, and I overcrowd.”
A third person chimed into the conversation saying: “I can’t wait to make my first hanging baskets this year! I will definitely use the sponge tip — thank you.”
