How often should I use Miracle Grow on hanging baskets?

Author: Louie McDermott  |  Last update: Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Promote colorful, abundant flowers in your annuals and perennials by feeding them Miracle-Gro® Water Soluble Bloom Booster® Flower Food every 7 to 14 days, or Miracle-Gro® Shake 'n Feed® Rose & Bloom Plant Food every 3 months during the growing season.

How to keep your hanging baskets blooming all summer?

💧 Keep your hanging baskets well-watered, and if they dry out, make sure to take them down and bottom water. Soak them in a bucket of water until they rehydrate. 🌺 Deadhead your flowers and pinch back if they're getting a little bit leggy.

How often should I fertilize my hanging basket?

Remembering to fertilize your hanging baskets is the first step! It's easy to forget, especially if you have many other jobs in the garden. We recommend feeding once a week in spring throughout summer unless you are using a slow-release fertilizer, and they won't need anything during autumn and winter.

Can you put too much Miracle Grow on plants?

MG is so strong that if used incorrectly, the fertilizer will actually burn the leaves and roots of your plants (you may have already experienced this). Imagine what it's doing to the healthy bacteria, fungi and other soil microbes that are working so hard to provide the nutrients your plants need.

Should I water my hanging baskets every day?

In general, water plants in hanging baskets when the soil surface becomes dry to the touch. On hot, sunny days it may be necessary to water once a day. When watering hanging baskets, be sure to apply water until water begins to flow out the bottom of the container.

How to make your hanging baskets healthy and strong!!!! Secret fertilizing routine.

How do you tell if a hanging basket is overwatered?

If a plant is overwatered, it will likely develop yellow or brown limp, droopy leaves as opposed to dry, crispy leaves (which are a sign of too little water). Wilting leaves combined with wet soil usually mean that root rot has set in and the roots can no longer absorb water.

What is the best fertilizer for hanging baskets?

Feeding - with constant watering you are washing away the nutrients so feed the basket with a liquid fertiliser like Tomorite or Miracle Gro or a dry slow release fertiliser (not both). Follow instructions but always feed when soil is moist and not if plants are wilting.

What is one reason not to use Miracle-Gro?

Miracle-Gro has a negative impact on your garden soil. Miracle-Gro destroys beneficial soil life. Miracle-Gro is polluting our water systems. Miracle-Gro actually stresses your plants out and makes them more susceptible to pests and disease.

What are the signs of overfertilizing plants?

Symptoms and Signs of Over-Fertilization
  • Crust of fertilizer on soil surface.
  • Yellowing and wilting of lower leaves.
  • Browning leaf tips and margins.
  • Browned or blackened limp roots.
  • Defoliation.
  • Very slow or no growth.
  • Death of seedlings.

How many times a week should I use Miracle Grow?

Apply this product once a week for best results. For even more spectacular results, use Miracle-Gro® Indoor Plant Food with Miracle-Gro® Indoor Potting Mix, sold separately.

Is Miracle-Gro good for hanging baskets?

However, the plant will respond the best if you'll go ahead and mix up something like Miracle-Gro or another liquid fertilizer into your water. That's because liquid fertilizer is instantly available to the plant and it will respond quicker than with the Osmocote.

How do you keep hanging baskets healthy?

After watering, fertilizer is the most important thing to keep your plants thriving. I usually recommend adding a slow or controlled-release fertilizer to your hanging basket right after you buy or plant it. This will provide your basket with a good constant dose of fertilizer.

How many plants should you put in a hanging basket?

For hanging baskets the general rule is to use one plant per inch of basket diameter – so 12 plants per 12 inch basket. You'll only need 5 plants per 12 inch hanging basket for bigger plants like Geraniums (Pelargoniums), Surfinia Petunias, culinary herbs and Fuchsias.

How often should you fertilize hanging baskets?

Most gardeners under-fertilize their hanging baskets. We recommend that you fertilize with Al's Water Soluble® 17-5-17 Fertilizer at least once per week in the early summer, and twice a week as they get larger and the weather heats up.

What happens if you put too much liquid fertilizer?

When applying fertilizer, always read and follow all label directions carefully - too much fertilization can permanently damage trees and plants. Excess fertilizer alters the soil by creating too high of a salt concentration, and this can hurt beneficial soil microorganisms.

What does a stressed plant look like?

In fact, chances are those yellowing, brown, or wilting leaves you're noticing are early signs of plant stress. Plant stress describes a set of non-ideal growth conditions within which your plants are forced to survive.

What are 4 signs that a plant has a disease?

Symptoms of plant disease
  • Stunted growth from mealybugs. ...
  • Spots on leaves caused by the rose black spot fungus. ...
  • Decay caused by the rice blast fungus. ...
  • Malformed stems or leaves caused by the ash dieback fungus. ...
  • Discoloration caused by the tobacco mosaic virus. ...
  • The presence of pests (aphids)

What is better than Miracle-Gro?

As opposed to Miracle-Gro which offers synthetic NPK (Nitrogen - N, Phosphorus - P & Potassium - K) and little else, Neptune's Harvest products, made from fresh North Atlantic fish, contain vitamins, micro and macro nutrients, amino acids, and natural growth hormones.

Can I use Miracle-Gro every time I water?

Choose Your Feeding Style

Measure and mix it directly into your watering can and pour the solution around the bases of your plants, or use with your hose in a sprayer (like the Miracle-Gro® Garden Feeder) for larger areas. Plan to feed every 7 to 14 days.

How long does it take for Miracle-Gro to work?

This lawn fertilizer gets to work as soon as it's applied, feeding grass through its roots and blades. The product can be safely used on all lawns, including warm season grass types like St. Augustine and Bermuda, and cool season grass types like Kentucky Bluegrass and Tall Fescue.

Is Miracle-Gro good for hanging baskets?

We recommend Miracle Grow Slow-release Fertilizer or Liquid Fertilizer – just follow the label instructions!

How do you perk up hanging baskets?

Watering is key to keep them looking fresh and fabulous

Then water, water, and water again! Don't feed every time you water, just do that weekly. If you're at the planting stage, however, you can add some slow-release feed pellets to aid the plants during summer.

Should I water my hanging baskets everyday?

During cooler spring or fall months, you may not need to water your hanging basket every day. However, when the temperatures start climbing up in the 25-40'C range, you will not only have to water everyday, you might have to water twice a day! Every time you water, you should make sure to completely saturate the soil.

Previous article
Do I need special detergent for microfiber?
Next article
Is there a paint that has no smell?