Key Points
Use plastic or glazed ceramic pots with drainage holes and avoid overcrowding plants in the planter.
Water deeply in the morning, check soil moisture regularly, and move plants to shade during heat waves.
Refresh potting soil annually, add mulch to retain moisture, and consider drought-tolerant plants.
Hanging baskets brimming with geraniums, begonias, petunias, and other summertime favorites can liven up front porches, patios, and balconies with fantastic color. But potted plants dry out much faster in hot weather than plants in the garden, and can quickly wither away if you don’t stay on top of your watering schedule.
No matter what types of plants you’re keeping in baskets, here are 9 easy ways to simplify watering and ensure your plants get enough water to support better growth and blooms.
1. Choose the Right Container
Hanging pots and baskets come in various materials, but plastic or glazed ceramic pots are best for keeping plants well-hydrated in summer. While terracotta pots and baskets lined with coconut coir have their uses, these types of containers dry out much faster and will need careful management to ensure plants don’t wither away. For best results, choose containers that are just the right size for the plants you want to keep and make sure the containers have drainage holes in the base so the soil won’t stay soggy.
2. Consider Self-Watering Planters
Although plastic and glazed ceramic pots don’t dry out as fast as some other containers, if you plan to travel or you sometimes forget to water your plants, self-watering planters may be the best choice. Online suppliers and garden retailers sell a variety of self-watering planters available with easy-to-read watering gauges and large reservoirs that will keep hanging plants watered longer than standard pots will. Just remember that self-watering planters still need their reservoirs refilled regularly.
3. Don’t Overplant
Growing too many plants in a hanging basket can cause plants to compete for water and the potting mix to dry out rapidly. To avoid this fate, make sure to read the spacing requirements for each plant you want to grow, and don’t pack more plants in a single container than the spacing recommendations suggest. Many plants fill in quickly and will make hanging pots look lush in no time. Instead of overcrowding a hanging planter, distribute plants over additional hanging baskets.
4. Water Right
Plants grown in hanging baskets may need to be watered daily or even more often during extreme heat. In general, it’s best to water plants in the morning when evaporation rates are lower and to water deeply and slowly so the potting mix is thoroughly saturated and water trickles through the drainage holes in your plant’s pot.
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If you’re not sure if your plants need water, feel the soil before you pick up your watering can, and water most annuals, herbs, and other common plants when the top 1 to 2 inches of potting mix feel dry.
5. Move Planters as Needed
Even if you water your hanging garden correctly, plants can still be stressed during extended periods of extreme heat. If your plants are looking wilted or their pots are drying out super-fast, consider temporarily moving them to a lightly shaded section of your patio or garden until the heat wave passes. Once the weather cools a bit, move your plants back into their regular growing location to ensure they get all the sun they need for peak growth.
6. Use Fresh Potting Soil
It’s good practice to always use fresh potting soil each spring when planting new plants in pots or hanging baskets. Old potting soil may not only potentially harbor pests and diseases that will impact the health of your plants, but soil from previous seasons can become a bit degraded and drain too fast or too slowly for your plant’s needs. If you forgot to freshen up your potting mix and your hanging pots are drying out fast or draining too quickly, take the time now to repot your plants into fresh potting mix.
7. Add Mulch
Many gardeners exclusively use mulch in in-ground or raised bed gardens, but if you’re worried about hanging baskets drying out too fast, there’s no reason you can’t add a little mulch to them, too. Simply apply 1 to 2 inches of natural mulch, like bark mulch, over the roots of your plants to lock in soil moisture and keep the mulch line at least 1 inch away from the plant’s stems. Applying mulch directly against plant stems traps moisture, leading to rotting and other issues.
8. Blend in Compost or Coconut Coir
Most store-bought potting mixes contain a mixture of organic matter or vermiculite to boost water retention. But you can make potting mixes even more moisture retentive by blending about 30% compost or coconut coir into your potting mix before potting plants in hanging pots. Avoid using these products in pots where you intend to grow succulents or other plants that prefer soils that drain quickly and stay relatively dry.
9. Select Drought-Tolerant Plants
Some plants like petunias and impatiens crave lots of water and are prone to drying out in hot weather, even if you water them often. If you prefer a simplified watering regimen, sometimes the easiest option is to replace thirsty plants with ornamentals that naturally tolerate dry soil better. Some common options for hanging pots include succulents like burro’s tail or string of pearls, trailing lantana, and trailing verbena.
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