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So cross, my poor dried up pots….

(11 Posts)
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Witzend Wed 29-Jul-26 13:26:06

We paid a neighbour’s daughter quite a lot to come and water my several pots of annuals and replenish 3 birdbaths, while we were away for 9 days.

I’ve come back to find that the pots been allowed to get so dry, the compost has shrunk from the sides of the pot, so that when I water now, it just pours out of the bottom.

I suppose I should have told her to count to 20 while watering, and not just give them a trickle, but we had her elder sister doing it perfectly well in previous years.

I shall now have to water little and often, just in the middle, and prune back much of what is now dead and dried up. 🤬

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Calendargirl Wed 29-Jul-26 16:14:11

Did you actually show her how to do it? And it has been extremely hot.

Just because elder sister did a good job previously…..

Our GD looked after our greenhouse when we were away, told her to keep picking the tomatoes and cucumbers etc.

None picked.

🤷‍♀️

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Fallingstar Wed 29-Jul-26 16:24:22

Am caring for my pots as much as possible here in my back yard in London but some plants have dried up and am not able to rescue them.
In this heat is very difficult to water enough without over watering or not watering for fear of this and the plant dying.

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NfkDumpling Wed 29-Jul-26 16:31:05

Hose pipe ban here in Norfolk. We're supposed to disconnect the hose completely so we're not tempted. Washing up water and watering cans only. I'm afraid I've had to choose which to help possibly live and which to leave to die.

At least I don't have to worry about cutting the grass!

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Greyduster Wed 29-Jul-26 16:38:13

I have given up watering anything not in pots except the lobelia cardinallis and my heuchera. The pots I use harvested water only. A crying shame. When I look at photos of what it looked like last year I could cry.

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MayBee70 Wed 29-Jul-26 16:46:24

I’ve realised that everything dries up because I’m now using peat free compost. In the past if I’ve gone away I’ve put my pots in plastic storage boxes which I’ve filled with water but one time it rained non stop and everything drowned.

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MayBee70 Wed 29-Jul-26 16:51:35

I don’t think there is a hosepipe ban where I live but I don’t have an outside tap so fill several dustbins with water using a hosepipe so I can access water outside. I’m having some plumbing done next week due to a leak and will have to drain my whole system. Plan to fill
the dustbins, buckets, bath etc so as not to waste the water but, again will have to use the hosepipe. Hope I don’t get into trouble ( I do everything possible to save water including using the bath water to flush the loo etc).

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CV2020 Wed 29-Jul-26 16:53:26

Peat free compost imo is totally rubbish and a waste of money. Plants and seeds don’t grow in it.

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MayBee70 Wed 29-Jul-26 16:57:18

I do love sedums and think I’m just going to fill the garden with them next year.

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Barkly Wed 29-Jul-26 17:09:22

I have filled small paddling pool with water and let plants soak from bottom up
Which seems to work well so far

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karmalady Wed 29-Jul-26 17:15:02

My ground cover sedums are thriving and have not needed any watering from me, in very dry somerset

To help water to be absorbed in very dry soil, put one drop of washing up liquid into the water

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