Hanging basket liners

Hello!!

I have heard that using a old wool jumper in your hanging basket works great as the sodden wool holds the water for ages. I haven't tried it myself yet, but I will. Just need to find an old jumper!!:thmb:

 

That seems a good idea, Bigbird. The birds have attacked the liners already and I can see plastic :dh: I had the decency to hang the offcuts up for them too :dh:

 

Hi chums. For me, the problem is that the compost seems to 'glaze' over. I water it, and the water just seems to run down the sides :( Keeping the compost wet is the key, I think. Cheers...freddy.

 

Sounds as if the birds are collecting it for nesting!!

Good luck with whatever you try.

If you get to try the woolly jumper method then let me know how you get on!!!:gnthb:

 

Hi Sam, have you tried THE AMATEUR'S ANSWER liners, they work really well. You get more compost in the basket(more compost, more moisture retention). Wide bars are no problem. Birds can't steal it for their nests. They fit all basket up to 16ins. dia. and are really neat. The makers have a demo video on their website; www.a1hangingbaskets.co.uk. Have a look!
john

 

Hi Kristen,
did your local birdlife disappear? Water retaining gel does get taken by birds which probably feed it to their young. This stuff carries on swelling when ingested. There is a warning on the packs warning humans not to ingest.
John

 

Hi Freddy,
the "glazing over" as you put it, is probably the cause of most people's watering problems. A dense crust forms on the top layer of the compost, making it impermeable to water. The water runs over the surface and down the sides of the basket giving the impression that your basket is fully watered, when in fact, it is far from being so.
Some years ago I was given a sample of a Wetting Agent at Harrogate Flower Show (Spring) and advised to sprinkle it on the top surface of the compost, AFTER planting. It seemed a bit silly, but as it was free I thought I would give it a go. The difference between the basket I trialled it on and the others was amazing! You can always check whether your basket is fully watered by pushing up on the base and feeling the weight of it. It is quite obvious. I always use this wetting agent now and get it on-line at www.a1hangingbaskets.co.uk
Good luck
John

 

Hi all,

Do birds also go for coir fibre liners? I believe they're made from coconuts?

This site reckons they're less likely to be knicked for nests:
http://www.hooksandlattice.com/hanging-baskets.html

and this one reckons they're a good alternative to moss:
http://www.hangingbasketsguide.co.uk/hanging-basket-liners.html
but not pretty...

I haven't tried water retaining gell, but sticking an old saucer or a plant pot drip tray in the bottom makes a pretty good reservoir.

 

Some useful information there John, thanks.

 

Also youcan use an old hand knitted or crochet sweater to line hanging baskets.

And to cover a wire basket that has maybe gone rusty,you can crochet an out raffia liner for basket to fit in.

 

Last year we bought about 1metre of Coir ? which we cut out and lined about 4 baskets and a window box, and we used the bits that were left for the bottom of pots instead of crocks, it must have worked out cheaper than buying ready made and we can use them again this year.

 

I use breathable roofing felt. You will see builders putting on new roofs all over the place, its usually black and lasts for years. Mine have been in for five years, I double layer it and use small black cable ties to fix to the top of the baskets to keep it neat.

 

I feel silly saying this, but last year my mother in law suggested just using black bin liners for my window boxes (or an empty compost bag turned inside out!). She has been using them for years. We just put them in the window box, trimmed them down to size and pricked in a few drainage holes. They have been absolutely fine and this is their second year now!

 

Someone on another thread said that they use their fingernails to scrape the soil and break the crust up so that the water can get in - I'm going to try that today as I have the same problem.

 

Traditional hanging baskets were made of wire, lined with sphagnum moss and densely planted in the sides. A basket of this type can look superb but is high maintenance, perhaps needing watering twice a day in hot weather.

Most local authorities who still do baskets have gone over to fibreglass 'baskets' with no planting in the sides and a resevoir in the base. These only need watering twice a week. They need to be planted with dense, trailing plants like surfinia petunias or bacopa and once established can look really good with little or no side visible.

For the tradditional basket I still find sphagnum moss the best as it is so easy to work around plants. However we are told that sphagnum harvesting damages sensitive habitats or is flown half way round the world from New Zealand ( it could be cultivated as a renewable resource but thats another story!)
Moss from lawns I find too short and tends to fall out.
Wool based 'moss substitute' I find too dense and hard to seperate - it's also taken by birds for nesting.
Fibre or coir liners I find too difficult to get many plants in the sides, you might as well use a hanging pot

For watering it helps if the surface is left concave to give water chance to soak in