These planters were doing well in the back of my house which has about 2-3 hours of sun. Then 3 weeks ago, not sure what happened besides animals getting in there in the night, but they seem to be dying/ dry, all the beautiful flowers on there are gone. I water the plantar 3 time a week.
Im not sure if it needs more water, less water, more sun, less sun. Can I bring this plantar back to life and what do I need to do?
Hello, it’s hard to tell what plants are in that container from your photo. If you are able to write back with the names of the plants (perhaps they are on a tag that came with the basket?) we can give you more specific information.
Sun may be an issue. I’m assuming that this is a variety of annuals that came together in a container arrangement. If these prefer prefer full sun, 2-3 hours of sun will not be enough. We would need to know the names of the plants to determine what kind of sun conditions they like.
Watering may be another issue. If we’ve had a run of hot weather without rain, watering 3x/week may not be enough. Sometimes plants in containers need to be watered once or twice a day in the heat. Make sure you’re testing the moisture level of the soil in the container every day by poking your finger in the soil a few centimeters down to see if it feels moist or dry.
Finally, you likely will need to fertilize these plants throughout the season to keep them in top shape (assuming that the soil these came with was not amended with fertilizer beads or another slow release fertilizer). Soil in containers is subject to nutrient leaching as the water drains through and out of containers. See the Toronto Master Gardeners Soil Fertility Guide for information about organic amendments to add nutrients to your containers.
Toronto Master Gardener’s Container Gardening Guide will provide additional information for you about best practices for gardening in containers.
Good luck!