I bought some young tomato and strawberry plants today to grow in containers as I have a small garden. I planted these out using grow bag compost specifically for fruit and veg into a rattan hanging basket (3 tomato plants into a 14") and the strawberry into a tub on its own. I watered them both until the soil was soaked as I was advised to encourage root development. The problem is that neither the basket or the tub appeared to have any water dripping out of the drainage holes once watered (about 6 holes in the bottom of the tub and 3 slits made in the lining of the rattan basket) and the water just seems to be sitting on the top layer. I don't know what I've done wrong and am quite concerned as I think I ruined my tomatoes a couple of years ago by leaving them in waterlogged soil.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Also an indication of how much water I should be giving each plant daily would be really helpful as there doesn't seem to be a definitive answer to this on the net and from past experience I don't think my instincts are too reliable in the case of gardening! Many thanks

In article ,
Livs wrote:

I bought some young tomato and strawberry plants today to grow in
containers as I have a small garden. I planted these out using grow bag
compost specifically for fruit and veg into a rattan hanging basket (3
tomato plants into a 14") and the strawberry into a tub on its own. I
watered them both until the soil was soaked as I was advised to
encourage root development. The problem is that neither the basket or
the tub appeared to have any water dripping out of the drainage holes
once watered (about 6 holes in the bottom of the tub and 3 slits made in
the lining of the rattan basket) and the water just seems to be sitting
on the top layer. I don't know what I've done wrong and am quite
concerned as I think I ruined my tomatoes a couple of years ago by
leaving them in waterlogged soil.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Also an indication of how much
water I should be giving each plant daily would be really helpful as
there doesn't seem to be a definitive answer to this on the net and from
past experience I don't think my instincts are too reliable in the case
of gardening! Many thanks

Sounds like you need to re-pot with the bottom inch (2.4cm), or more, in
rock and sand, in order to keep the drains open.
--
- Billy
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3lF5XSUg
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html

Thanks Billy, I've done this now with all pots, putting a layer of broken terracotta at the base and creating more drainage holes. Unfortunately it seems to have made no difference. The water just seems to be sitting on the top layer and not even reaching the drainage holes. I don't know if its the fact that I mixed in some water retaining granules or that the compost was not bone dry when I first poured it out of the grow bag and into the pots??? Or posibly I'm jut giving too much water but I'd say I used a quarter of a small watering can on each this tme and still the same problem. Grrrr

In article ,
Livs wrote:

Thanks Billy, I've done this now with all pots, putting a layer of
broken terracotta at the base and creating more drainage holes.
Unfortunately it seems to have made no difference. The water just seems
to be sitting on the top layer and not even reaching the drainage holes.
I don't know if its the fact that I mixed in some water retaining
granules or that the compost was not bone dry when I first poured it out
of the grow bag and into the pots??? Or posibly I'm jut giving too much
water but I'd say I used a quarter of a small watering can on each this
tme and still the same problem. Grrrr

Makes no sense, unless the granules are swelling and creating an
impermeable layer. I've read that the granules can hold up to 500 times
their own weight in water. Try it without the granules. See how the size
compares now that they're wet, to when you put them in. If it doesn't
drain without the granules, it has to be the potting soil, or something
else is hermetically sealing the drain hole.
--
- Billy
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3lF5XSUg
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html

Livs wrote:

I don't know if its the fact that I mixed in some water retaining
granules or that the compost was not bone dry when I first poured it out
of the grow bag a

How much of the water retaining stuff did you use? Offhand, it sounds like
_way_ too much.


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/4 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

"Livs" wrote in message
...

Thanks Billy, I've done this now with all pots, putting a layer of
broken terracotta at the base and creating more drainage holes.
Unfortunately it seems to have made no difference. The water just seems
to be sitting on the top layer and not even reaching the drainage holes.
I don't know if its the fact that I mixed in some water retaining
granules or that the compost was not bone dry when I first poured it out
of the grow bag and into the pots??? Or posibly I'm jut giving too much
water but I'd say I used a quarter of a small watering can on each this
tme and still the same problem. Grrrr

When you say that the water is sitting 'on' the top layer, do you mean that
it is actually not soaking into the potting mix?

If you do mean that, then it sounds like the potting mix is water repellant
and until you can rewet it then nothing will work.