Is there anything I can put in my pots so they don't need watering as often?

[MrsWho]

Particularly if its suitable for hanging baskets?

those gel crystal things that swell up and retain water

dunno. but have you seen those plastic hanging baskets taht have a reservoir under the 'floor' of the basket? it has a little snorkle thing with which to top it up with water again. i can't remember where i got one last year but i have some strawberry plants in mine.

Ooh where can you get the gel things?

Kiskidee-If you remember CAT me that sounds ideal for my strawberries -Its them that are drying up atm!

plastic plants?

You can get the gel crystals anywhere from online, to your local garden centre and Wilko's.
Wilko's will undoubtedly be the cheapest.

omg mrs who. i just remembered! it was the pound shop! or £-stretcher!

I have seen them one other place so it is worth keeping your eye open. Try places like Wilkinsons, or Woolies too. I think the other place i saw it was Lidl. in fact, lidl just did garden stuff a couple weeks ago so it may be worth checking out. Maybe chi-chi gardening places have them but prob want chi-chi price too.

VVVV-But they wouldn't feed us!

I'll try Wilkos -seem to live there this week do have a couple of good garden centres locally to try too.

Don't have pound shop or poundstretcher anymore I miss them

so if i see one. should i buy it for you? i'd probably keep it if you said no as i can always use another plant pot....

How heavy would it be to post? If its not too bad that would be great.
Not enough bargain shops here now-Hence me lving in Wilkos!

LOL! Sorry MRsW, I was being rather flippant

at VVV (can never get those Vs right )

no as it is 100% plastic. less than 1/2 a kilo i think

Well if you see one yes please, and I'll send you the money and P&p etc

Lining the base of the hanging basket with a large circle of polythene such that it creates a mini resevoir at the bottom when you water seems to work well.

shards of broken clay plant pot.

does the trick for mine!

All I know is that every plant I have dies. I have just gone to focus and bought flowers for my garden and it would be nice if they survived for a change for the summer. I hate gardening.

hanging baskets are a bind - they need watering every day even if they have gel crystals etc because there is so little earth and so many plants and they hang in such exposed places

some hanging basket plants don't need as much water - geraniums, locust plant if you can find it, anything with silvery and/or hairy leaves and/or more 'spikey' leaves. avoid bizzie lizzies and things that look lush and green and watery.

you could go mad and get one of those automatic watering systems, but you do need an outside tap and they are quite expensive and a fiddle to set up

but it's probably worth investing in one of those curly hoses with a long lance on the end so it's easy to water them

I have a tiered hanging basket thing and the top one is quite small (size of a side plate?) and it dries up really quickly.
Will try the polythene in the hanging baskets as they are too small really for crocks.
I have fruit and veg outside buut its mainly the strawberries that dry up quickly.Have a tap and one of those sqeezytype nozzles on so its easyto water, just seems to be completly dry by the next day

That gel stuff works a treat

i may be going to town tomorrow mrs who so will pop into £stretcher to see if they have any.

in the meantime, if you have a lidl near you, from thursday next week, they have the wand thing on offer that someone mentioned below. for a fiver i think. i am sad, i pop in and get their flier if i can.

Ta will have to check it out!

Shredded old sponges mixed into the compost work quite well.

didn't find any of those pots Mrs Who!

Never mind Thanks for looking.