Help needed with Surfinia Petunia hanging baskets

Hi All. New to the forum and I have not introduced myself yet, sorry! I have 2 13" hanging baskets out front which I have just planted up today with these Petunias (8 per basket + 4 small trailing Lobilia. They are in general purpose compost and I was told after I planted them that I should have added slow release fertiliser to the mix. Can I still get good results with some kind of liquid feed? I spent quite a lot of money on these baskets, so I want to get the best out of them. I realise I have to water at least once a day! Thanks.

 

Yes they will be fine, when they are starting to flower well start giving a liquid feed, twice a week.

 

You can push a stick into the compost and fill the hole with something like osmacote controlled release fertiliser if you want to.
Not sure you needed 8 surfinias to each basket though.

 

Ignore that person's advice in future! Having said that, adding slow release fertiliser will make your summer job a bit easier, but TBH for a hanging basket and given that you have to water it often putting some feed in the watering can too, once a week or fortnight, will not be a big chore.

Definitely. Now everyone here can give you conflicting advice on what will be the best Brand to use! Once they start flowering then using a fertiliser which is higher in Potassium will be best. Any sort of "Tomato fertiliser" will do. Look for the NPK ratio on the packet, Potassium is the third "K" number, and for a high Potassium fertiliser it will be about twice as high as the other two. You still need some "N" to make the plants grow, so something which is 1:1:2 or 4:4:8 or 8:8:16 (high numbers just mean that it is stronger, so all three of those are the "same" in other respects)

I would suggest you use it at half the rate recommended on the packet, but twice as often (so the plants don't have to go hungry, waiting for the next feed.

There is a slow release plant fertiliser that comes in cone shaped "sticks". If you can find that in the garden centre you could just push them into the baskets, job done

However, I use both slow release and liquid feed, and adopt a "when I remember" routine with the liquid feed. Probably about once a month ... so the slow release saves me having to remember, and what the plants get from me is the equivalent of a treat

Hope your baskets look a knockout this summer. Don't forget to water them, that is key - although they won't need as much when the plants are small / will need more when they are large. Stick a finger in before you water and if it feels bone dry them water more often.

 

P.S. Next year you might want to mix some "water retaining gel" in the compost in the baskets. That will help "store" water between waterings, which the plants will appreciate. Don't put it on the surface, it will dry out and then just blow away, mix it into the compost in the bottom half or 2/3rds of the container.

 

You should be able to add the slow release fertiliser now , just measure it out and squiggle it round with your fingers so it mixes with the basket compost , or as above if you can find the little slow release cones they will be perfect.
I think 8 Surfinia and 4 lobelia may be a bit too much for a 14" basket . I would have planted 3 petunias + 1 in the centre and 3 lobelia