I picked up a couple of these a few years ago and never got around to using them. Have any of you used them? Like them, dislike them? Tips and tricks for using them? What did you grow successfully or not? I'm not asking for much here am I ;)
Thank you for any and all responses!
Any tips for using the flowers pouches?
helloooooooo?????
: )
I guess I'm the only one who bought any:lol:
Back to the "la-bore-a-tory" for some experiments! (Evil thunder clap and lightning in the background)
I've seen some of these in the neighborhood. When they are first planted they look like bags of trash hanging from whatever. Once they fill out, they look really nice. A little too big for my taste, but I enjoy seeing them when I drive by.
I use them for impatiens and lobelia mostly. I would love to use them with sun loving plants but in my climate I would probably be watering them 3x a day. So I stick to the shade lovers. They are gorgeous when they fill out.
Be sure to use a fair amount of the water crystals and time release fertilizer when you fill the bags. It is easier to get small plugs with small root systems through the openings in the bags. Put a plant or two in the top too. After planting lay them flat for a week or two until the plants get established - otherwise the ones toward the bottom get their roots squished from the weight of the soil above. You could also let them lie flat until they fill out more before hanging them so they don't look like bags of trash, to quote beaker_ch. LOL
noh2o - thanks for that picture. i have had those pouches for years but never got around to trying them. maybe this will be the year. LOL
Actually I am looking at some of those pouches now trying to decide whether or not to buy them. I was thinking of planting some strawberries and some cherry tomatoes in them....
~Julie =0)
I love them. There are so many plants that would look good in them. And if you lived in a cooler climate you could grow plants that take sun. I saw one once that was filled with trailing petunias and got just morning sun. It was gorgeous!
Be sure to empty them out at the end of the year when the soil is still moist. If you let it dry out until spring it is a real pain to empty. LOL
This picture was taken in June when the plants were still small.
And this was take October 29th. The house faces south and the brick retains warmth so the plants had survived the first killing frosts. A few days later they were history. LOL
Thanks Candy for the pictures and hints on planting. I was wondering if I could make something similar?
Those were real pretty the way you used them. Did you water often? or did the water crystals carry them well?
Sidney
It depends on how much rain you get and how hot it is. I used enough crystals that I never watered daily. During the hottest period of summer with no rain I watered maybe 2 or 3 times a week at most. Of course these bags received only a little dappled sunlight - in full sun they would dry out quickly but I guess you could increase the amount of water crystals to offset that (I can see I am talking myself into trying some out in full sun this year LOL). I used a watering wand and let the top get a little dry before watering since the bottom of the bag would still be wet.
I hadn't thought about it Sidney but I bet they would look great with a mixture of coleus in them. You would have to pinch a lot in the beginning to make them fill out. Then it would look like a tapestry with the variety of colors and patterns.
I had seen the bags in the T&M catalog but picked them up a couple of years ago on clearance at KMart. I just haven't seen any in actual use. The photos are great and all the suggestions. I'll have to load em up with crystals since my front garden is suddenly total full sun due to property being developed next door. They removed all of the trees right up to the property line so the sun exposure is now full sun all day. I'm getting a digital camera just because of this website:)