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I had put potting mix directly into a coir hanging basket: Coir hanging basket

Whenever I water the basket (or when it rains), the water that drains out the bottom is usually dark, which suggests that nutrients and organic matter are leaching out.

What are some good ways to minimize this leaching (preferably without resorting to plastic liners)?

JKSH
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    I don't consider leaching from my orchid or staghorn fern baskets ; I just give them dilute water soluble fertilizer occasionally. – blacksmith37 Sep 04 '21 at 15:56
  • Thanks, @blacksmith37! So, similar to Brōtsyorfuzthrāx you accept the leaching and simply top up more often, is that right? – JKSH Sep 05 '21 at 11:27

2 Answers2

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Hmm. This is a difficult question, but what I would personally do is stop worrying about the soil. Whatever comes out is probably going to come out (make sure it's full of soil, though). I recommend giving the plants foliar sprays of water-soluble fertilizer. Then they'll be less reliant on whatever nutrients are in the soil. Miracle Gro 24-8-16 All-purpose fertilizer should be great (but it doesn't include magnesium or calcium, if those get depleted--fortunately, those are less likely to be water soluble, and less likely to leach out as much).

You'll probably want to use a pump sprayer, instead of a hose sprayer (because a hose sprayer would be overkill, and inefficient).

1 tablespoon per gallon (or 1.195 teaspoons per 51oz) is what I use for weekly foliar sprays on plants. Be careful, though, because the Miracle Gro scoop has neither tablespoons nor teaspoons. The big end of the scoop is 1.5 tablespoons, and the small end is a 0.5 teaspoons.

If you just have the one plant to fertilize, one spray bottle full of fertilizer should last you a really long time.

Brōtsyorfuzthrāx
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  • Thanks for your insight. So if I've understood correctly, you accept the leaching and compensate by providing nutrients through the foliage, yes? I'm growing some Western Australian plants that are phosphorus-sensitive, so I probably won't be able to use the same Miracle Gro as you -- but I'll look out for low-phosphorus alternatives. – JKSH Sep 05 '21 at 11:25
  • Well, I haven't tried it in a hanging basket particularly, yet, but I think it should work. I've tried foliar sprays in other contexts, and I'm encouraged. – Brōtsyorfuzthrāx Sep 07 '21 at 04:11
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I just remembered that I read a tip on the web several hours ago about a similar situation (how to prevent houseplants from leaking soil through their holes). The solution was to line the bottom of the container with coffee filters. I imagine that might work here, somewhat.

Brōtsyorfuzthrāx
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  • Interesting idea! I'll give it a try. I'm guessing that it will still leach the water-soluble stuff (otherwise the coffee itself wouldn't get through), but it should certainly keep the larger particles from slowly migrating through the coir. – JKSH Sep 05 '21 at 11:15