Keep 'Em Blooming
- Posted on
- By Zocalo
What's going to keep your flowers blooming all season?
Here's four tips to keep your flower baskets and blooming pots blooming all summer long.
Keeping Your Baskets Bloomin' and Bountiful
1) 6+ hours of full sun daily (for sun baskets and pots like Petunia, Calibrachoa, Geranium and mixed containers).
2) Water consistently, likely everyday. Soil should be consistently moist, but not
waterlogged. In hot weather, this will likely require watering everyday. However,
do let the top inch or so dry out between waterings and ensure your container
has good drainage to prevent root rot.
3) Feed and fertilize. Fertilize every 2 weeks with a water-soluble fertilizer, or a
diluted amount every week. Use a flowering fertilizer like ratio of 15-30-15 to
promote root growth, blooming and green growth in proportionate amounts for
your plants to thrive.
4) Pruning and maintenance. Trim back stems if they become leggy. By early July,
you can/should prune back up to 30% of the length to promote bushy, full growth
and new blooming branches. While it may seem hard to cut back the flowers,
they will reward you if they get a fresh haircut once or twice throughout the
season. Remove all dead leaves and stems. Deadhead Petunias, including the
calix, but Calibrachoa do not require deadheading as they are self-cleaning.
