River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-02-15
Plants in Hanging Baskets.
Farm and Fireside.


Farm and Fireside.
Some persons seem to imagine that all
most any plant ought to do as well in a
basket hanging in the window as it does
in pot on the plant stand. Acting on
this belief they use whatever they take
fancy to for a basket plant, and gener-
ally meet with failure. The reasons are
obvious to any one who has had much
experience with plant growing. In the
first place, a plant hanging as high as
ones head gets much warmer, dryer
atmosphere to breathe than those four
feet below it. In the next place a plant
hung up is more difficult to get at when
water is being given to the other plants,
and generally such plant gets an mad
equate supply or is neglected, and on ac-
count of the dryness in the air all about
it it soon suffers and the leaves drop. If
the fact could be borne in mind that such
plants need more water than those be-
low It, and this need prope Fly attended
to, and with regularity, there would not
be so much failure swith basket plants.
Once every two days is often enough to
water plants on the stand, but plants in
and enough to thoroughly penetrate the
earth in which it grows. In planting
anything in basket | always leave
hollow in the soil around the edge ofthe
basket. If filed evenly with earth, the
water applied to the surface of the soil
will run off, or considerable of it, at
least, before the crust is soaked enough
to render it absorbent.
In putting up hanging baskets would
advise you not to have the cords or
chains attached to the basket to the
hook in the ceiling (if the hook to hold
the basket is fastened there) in one
piece. ] would have the three or four
chains or cords attached to the basket
meet about foot above the basket and
there hook on to one chain dependent
from the ceiling. Ny object in doing
this would be to facilitate taking down
the basket whenever occasion demand
ed. You will need to take it down quite
often if you would have good success
with your pl lnts.
Hanging plants, like others, turn to
the light, and unless the basket is shift
ed about they will soon present an un-
pleasantly one-sided appearance. If
they are connected with chain or cord
as l have suggested, it is an easy matter,
by mounting a chair, to unlock the
basket, turn it about, and rehook it to
its support. If your ceilings are high,
or only moderately so, it is not so easy
matter to take down basket attached
to cords three or four feet long.
Another reason why they should be
often taken down is they necessarily get
very dusty from their elevated position,
and in order to have good success with
them they should be kept clean. If it
isn't too much ola job to take them
down and give them a good
washing by dipping them in
tub of water, most per-
sons who grow them, and really care for
them and their welfare, will, at least
once week. give them this needed at
tentiop. But if hard to get at, as plants
suspended from long chains or cords are,
they will quite likely get only sprink
ling of water, and this, instead of wash
ing off the accumulated dust, will only
make it stick closer and help to make
the poor plant uncomfortable.
Another source of failure with very
many, especially with amateurs, in grow
ing plants in baskets is that they do not
supply the plant with the necessary
amount of earth. Most of the baskets
are too small--too shallow. They should
hold as much as an ordinary six-inch
pot if you would have your plants -four
ish. Remember that, while some plants
bloom better when in small pots, no
plant can be grown successfully for foli-
age unless its roots are given plenty of
room and earth TO spread in. Now, you
always aim to have plenty of foliage and
growth of vine in basket plant; if you
do not have you fail in reaching success.
Therefore, when you buy a basket for
any hanging plant, be sure not to get
shallow one. Plants in a small basket
will need watering twice day in hot
weather, while they may think them
selves lucky if they get drink once
day. On this account, as well as on that
of room for the roots, you should not
buy too small pots.