Watering lance for hanging baskets: is 49 cm enough
Updated: 21 October 2026
The basket by the front door is just above your shoulder, and a pistol soaks your sleeve before the compost is wet. A watering lance for hanging baskets is the wand you add when a hand gun cannot reach the back of a border. Peter F. updated this on 21 October 2026. The only lance in this amazon.co.uk set is the WASH IT! 2566, titled 49 cm, at about £15.95 with 4.4 from 60 reviews. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. The other eight products are pistol guns on the [garden hose spray gun comparison](/hub/painting-supplies/garden-hose-spray-gun).
The basket by the front door is just above your shoulder, and a pistol soaks your sleeve before the compost is wet.
The basket by the front door is just above your shoulder, and a pistol soaks your sleeve before the compost is wet. A watering lance for hanging baskets is the wand you add when a hand gun cannot reach the back of a border. Peter F. updated this on 21 October 2026. The only lance in this amazon.co.uk set is the WASH IT! 2566, titled 49 cm, at about £15.95 with 4.4 from 60 reviews. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. The other eight products are pistol guns on the garden hose spray gun comparison.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Reach | Control | Patterns | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Onarway Onarway metal spray gun | Hand gun | Thumb knob and trigger lock | 10, including mist and shower | 8.5 | about £15.74 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Hozelock Hozelock Multi-Jet gun | Hand gun | Lock and separate flow control | 5, including fine rose | 8.1 | about £20.20 | View offer |
| Alternative |  WASH IT! WASH IT! watering lance | 49 cm in the title | Thumb switch, can stay on | 8 | 7.4 | about £15.95 | View offer |
On this page
When a pistol gun is the wrong reach
A pistol is right for a pot at your feet or a basket you can water without stretching. It is the wrong reach on tiptoe, above your head, or at the back of a deep border. The English Garden describes a lance for that, with a head that tilts so you are not pouring onto the crown.
Hozelock's plant guidance, followed on the how to use a garden hose spray gun page, says a hard jet blows compost. A basket wants a shower, a soaker, or a soft cone. One BBU reviewer uses a soaker on a chest-height basket with an ordinary gun. That is a pattern note, not a second review of the BBU.
What 49 cm actually is
The WASH IT! title says 49 cm. The model is 2566, made for Redstar Online Limited. A metal rod, a head, and a handle screw together, at a listed 300 g. Eight patterns are named, the head swivels 180 degrees, and a thumb switch can stay on. The dimensions field says 40 x 10 x 5 cm, and a review title quotes 45 cm.
Reviewers say it is shorter than the photos, and one says it adds about 20 cm over a normal gun. If that still leaves you stretching, this listing will not fix it. The bullet says 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch hose, while the thread field says 1/2 inch. Try the joint with the tap barely open.
What longer UK lances offer instead
UK guides usually show a lance longer than 49 cm. Gardena's Comfort hanging-basket lance is 90 cm, with a soft spray, a head that moves through 200 degrees, a stated frost-protection mark, and a five-year warranty after registration on Gardena's page. That length and that frost line are not facts of the WASH IT! 2566.
Hozelock's Lance Spray Plus 90, listed by Charlies at about £29.99, is a 90 cm plastic lance. Screwfix lists the Hozelock Lance Spray Plus 140 at £39.99, extending to 140 cm. A Kingfisher telescopic lance at Charlies runs about 76–110 cm for about £9.99. None of those models is in this set. They are the length on offer elsewhere when 49 cm is not enough.
Who should still buy this one
Buy the WASH IT! lance when the gap is about a forearm, not a full arm's length above your head, and you want a thumb control. At £15.95 it is cheaper than the 90 cm Hozelock and Gardena lances above. Skip it if the photos suggested a long wand, or if you wanted Gardena's frost mark.
One of 60 reviews describes a leak and a jet that behaved like a mist. That single mismatch is a large share of a short sample. The listing describes the rod as metal, not the whole lance. If a wand is the wrong tool, pistol scores are on the best garden hose spray gun page. This listing does not claim to be frost-proof.
Common questions
Is 49 cm enough for a hanging basket?
It is enough when the basket is only a little beyond a pistol gun, which matches reviewers who say the wand adds about 20 cm. It is not enough when the basket is above your head. Gardena's basket lance is 90 cm and Hozelock's telescopic lance reaches 140 cm, and neither of those is this ASIN. Measure from your hand to the compost before you order the 49 cm title.
What does the thumb control change?
The thumb switch sets the flow and can stay on, so you are not squeezing a trigger while you hold the wand up. Reviewers prefer that to a pistol grip for baskets. It does not make the lance longer, and it does not correct a pattern label that does not match the spray. Slide it off before you put the lance down, or the water keeps running.
Why do reviews say it is shorter than the photos?
The title says 49 cm, a review title says 45 cm, and the dimensions field says 40 x 10 x 5 cm. Reviewers say the photos suggested more reach, and one says the gain over a normal gun is about 20 cm. Use a tape on the product when it arrives if the basket height is tight. The 49 cm line is the claim to test, not a length measured for this page.
Do I still need a soft pattern so I do not blow compost out of the basket?
Yes. A hard jet into a basket of compost blows the surface out, which is the same point Hozelock makes about mulch and seedlings. Use a shower, soaker, or cone, and water the compost rather than the flowers. If the lance's jet setting comes out soft, as one reviewer found, judge the spray by eye. The label is not the plant.
Will it fit a 1/2 inch and a 3/4 inch hose?
The bullet says 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch garden hose. The thread-size field says 1/2 inch. Those two lines are not the same promise. The outlet is described as push-fit. Click it on with the tap slightly open and watch for the leak one reviewer reported at the fitting. Do not assume both thread sizes are confirmed because the bullet mentions both.
Is this the Gardena 90 cm frost-proof lance?
No. Gardena's Comfort hanging-basket lance is a 90 cm product with a frost-protection claim and a five-year warranty after registration on Gardena's site. The WASH IT! 2566 is titled 49 cm, has no frost-proof line in this set, and is sold under Redstar Online Limited. If you need the 90 cm length or the frost mark, you are looking at a different product.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures for these nine ASINs.
- Flood and Water Management Act 2010, section 36 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Ofwat, hosepipe bans (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Thames Water, temporary use ban (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Water Regs UK, hose union taps (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- WaterSafe, outside tap advice (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Hozelock, spray-pattern guide (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Hozelock, maintenance (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- BBC Gardeners' World, best spray guns 2026 (retrieved 21 October 2026)