Need help w/coconut liner planters

[Dina]

I have six coconut liner planters and it seems that anything, and I mean ANYTHING I plant in them ends up dying. Could it be that the roots are getting too dry with these type of liners? Would it be okay to line the coconut liner with plastic and leave a few holes for drainage so they can hold more moisture? I am having the hardest time keeping my plants (ie. geraniums, petunias) alive in these planters and I'm tired of wasting so much money on plants. Am I just chosing the wrong plant for this type of planter and weather? Argh..need help. Thanks.

 

[JMediger]

We used this style last year for hanging cherry tomatoes and petunias. We found out very quickly we had to water them EVERYDAY. Typically, we would water them first until the water ran through then come back to them when everything else was watered. If it was really hot out or if we had been gone for the weekend, I dunked them in a very large tub of water to just soak the soil and the liner. It seemed to help as the liner would be saturated as well as the soil.

I'm thinking about adding one of those watering pads to the bottom of the container that is supposed to hold a bunch of water and release it a little more slowly. Have you (or anyone else) heard of these or used them?

 

[miniman]

You can get water retention granules to mix with the soil/compost you are using so the planters hold more water.

 

[quicksilver]

I stopped using them after one season a couple of years ago for that reason. You really have to saturate that liner all the time. I wanted trailing plants in mine. Not only are you losing water, but you're losing vitamins.
Then I saw a friend's baskets and didn't like how they grayed (like cedar furniture)
Geraniums don't like to keep their feet wet too long, so good drainage is important, but maybe the granuals "miniman spoke of would sustain that moisture alittle longer.
Wish you luck..............................

 

[Dina]

The granules are a good idea. I will look for them tomorrow at Home Depot. I did a search on the watering pads but couldn't find them at Home Depot. I found them online at this website: Park Seed: Aqua Pad Water-Absorbing Mats (pack of 5) - A set of 5 fabric squares for holding water at the base of container plants and releasing it slowly. Do you know where I can get them at? Perhaps a Garden&Seed store?

 

[Dina]

I hope my experiment works. I got some peat moss and perlite and combined these two with the potting soil and planted some new zinnias and lantanas in my coconut lined planters. I also lined the coconut lines with a plastic bag (with lots of holes of course) to hopefully keep maintain some moisture. I hope my plants survive this time.

 

[lane]

Miracle Grow makes a "Moisture Control" potting soil that I have successfully used for several years now with my coconut lined window boxes. I still try to go with heat/drought tolerant plants in these liners. I prefer trailing varieties, and one I put in my boxes every year and have good success with are "Million Bells" or "Calibrachoa." This year there is even a new "Calibrachoa hybrid" or "Superbells" which is supposedly even more heat tolerant. I also like the fact that there is no need to deadhead these either, as mine are up fairly high off the ground. Another good drought tolerant trailing accent I like to add in with these is "Silver Falls" or "Dichondra."