Happy September, everyone! We’re back with another Ask Anna your Gardening questions! This month, we are answering “None of my hanging baskets did well this year, any suggestions? ”
If your hanging baskets looked stunning in June only to fizzle out by midsummer, you are not alone. Containers hold a limited amount of soil, and frequent watering continuously flushes essential nutrients out through the drainage holes. By July, standard watering simply isn’t enough—your plants are starving. You do not need to spend a fortune on store-bought plant food to revive them. In fact, you can brew a rich, organic liquid fertilizer right in your backyard using the very weeds you just pulled.
As weeds grow, their deep roots tap into the ground and pull up vital minerals. By steeping those pulled weeds in water, you create a nutrient-rich brew—often called “weed tea”—that returns those lost minerals straight back to your potted plants. Using a variety of weeds yields a broader range of nutrients, with Comfrey being a standout favorite for foliage feeds.
How to Brew Homemade Liquid Fertilizer.
Loosely fill a 5-gallon bucket about two-thirds full with fresh, chopped weeds. Stick to green growth: avoid weeds that have gone to seed or show signs of disease. Fill the bucket with rainwater or tap water. Cover it loosely with a lid (do not seal it airtight) and place it in a shady spot outdoors. Leave the bucket to ferment for about two weeks.
A quick heads-up: it will smell pretty terrible, but that foul odor just means the nutrients are breaking down into usable plant food!
Strain out the solid plant material. Because home brews vary in strength, dilute the liquid using 1 part weed tea to 4 parts water (make it even weaker for delicate plants). Pour the tea directly into the soil around the roots rather than over the leaves or flowers. Pair your feedings with daily moisture checks. Soil in baskets dries quickly; stick your finger an inch deep to verify dryness before giving them a thorough soak. Finish with a quick pruning to trim leggy stems and clear out spent blooms.
A deep drink, a quick haircut, and a splash of homemade weed tea are often all a tired hanging basket needs to burst back into bloom.
If you have gardening questions or need advice, feel free to reach out! You can send your questions to me at [email protected] with the subject line “Ask Anna,” and I’ll happily feature your questions in next month’s NewsMagazine.
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