1.Selection of containers

2.selection of media

3.Selection of plants

4.Care and Maintainace of hanging plants.

1.SELECTION OF CONTAINERS /HANGING POT

Hanging baskets are plants placed in a structure that is suspended from chains, ropes, or other materials. They are primarily decorative plants around homes and other structures. They allow homes with limited garden space to still have fresh-grown living plants and flowers. The baskets themselves are usually made of wire and filled with a substance like a growing medium. Hanging baskets come in a wide variety of styles and examples, from store-bought baskets to homemade baskets such as upside-down clay pots.

The traditional hanging basket is a simple suspended container used for growing decorative plants. Typically they are hung from buildings, where garden space is at a premium, and from street furniture for environmental enhancement.  One type of hanging basket is the inverted planter where plants are grown in an upside down pot and are watered from the top

hanging baskets are a great place to get creative; if you choose to make the basket yourself, you could do anything from planting up a watering can, to hanging a few colanders up together containing small, flowering plants!

But whatever material you choose to use, the size of the basket is really important. A basket that’s too small for your plants will need regular watering and pruning. The bigger the basket the better in this instance, as a bigger basket leads to higher water retention which means less maintenance and greater opportunity for bigger and more vibrant plants.

It helps if you have a particular plant in mind before deciding what size to go for, because then you can suit the basket to the flower, instead of the flower to the basket.tainers or pots.

2.GROWING MEDIA

A lightweight potting mix is needed for container gardening. Soil-less planting mixes provide excellent drainage, aeration, and water-holding capacity than ordinary garden soil cannot supply. Drainage is essential so that the planting mix will not become water-logged.

3.BEST HANGING PLANT

1.Spider plant   

2.Gerenium

3.Hoya,

4.Chinese money plant

5.Wandering jew

6.English Ivy

7.Flame violet plant

8.Purple bell flower

9.Philodendrons

10.Peparomia

3.PLANTING OF HANGING PLANTS

Once you have selected and fitted your liner, it’s time to start placing in the soil. Make sure the first layer of soil is between four and five inches above the base of the basket, then pad it down firmly to provide a solid background.

Some gardeners like to insert a drainage pipe into their basket in order to evenly distribute air and water. If you are going to do this, make sure that you leave three or four inches of soil between the bottom of the pipe and the base of the basket. Otherwise, water will just drain straight through the basket and onto the ground!

Once your soil and drainage are in place, put the bulbs of your desired plants into the base of the basket, just below the soil. Make small incisions to your liner if needed, but be aware not to make an incision that’s too big, otherwise, too much soil may spill out when watering.

4.CARE AND MAINTAINIANCE

Water often and thoroughly. Plants in containers generally need to be watered more often than if they were growing in the ground. This is especially true for hanging baskets because they are subject to drying winds. Reach up and lift the pot from below; if it feels light, it probably needs water. Put your finger one inch into the soil; if it is dry at that depth, water. In most areas, you should expect to water hanging plants everyday, or even twice a day. Water should stream from the drainage holes when you water.

Deadhead blooming plants. As flowers fade and die, remove them by pinching them off where they meet the stem. This promotes the formation of new flowers. Otherwise, the plant may put its energy into creating seeds.

In a mixed basket, replace plants as needed. Don’t be afraid to remove a plant from a mixed planting if it has finished blooming. Ease it out, being careful of the other plants, and replace it with something else. Alternatively, plug the space with more soil and allow the other plants to fill the gap.

Fertilize. Because you’ll be watering frequently, nutrients will leave the potting mix quickly. Feed the plants with liquid fertilizer or a dry slow-release fertilizer (not both). Follow the directions for amount and frequency. Feed when the soil is moist, and never when plants are wilting.

If necessary, soak. If water streams from the drainage holes but the soil still seems dry, try submerging the pot in a bucket of water for up to an hour. This will thoroughly rewet the soil.

Cut back leggy plants. If the plants start to look straggly, don’t be afraid to cut them back. Most common hanging plants, such as verbena, petunias, and impatiens, will produce denser new growth.