Extreme summer heat can be as exhausting for our plants as it is for us, but you can make life easier for them by deploying a few simple strategies.
You may help keep harvests coming even in hot, dry weather by utilizing smart watering strategies, giving shade, and reducing other stresses.
These are five key techniques to assist your plants survive the summer heat.
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1. Water the Right Way
Check the soil everyday with your finger to determine when to water your plants. If it’s dry an inch or two below the surface, add water. A thorough soaking every few days is preferable than a daily superficial spray.
Water should be consumed first thing in the morning, when it is still chilly and evaporation is gradual.
Create bowls by pushing dirt into ridges around plants. Water into these and the ridges will prevent water running away over the surface, giving it time to soak in near the roots. Instead, place old pots or bottles in the soil near plants and water them.
If you can’t water your plants on a regular basis in hot weather, a drip irrigation system with a timer is an excellent option.
Keep an eye on your container plants. They may need more frequent watering, particularly in windy situations. Make sure the water is being absorbed fully into the potting soil, rather than just slipping down cracks between the potting soil and the wall of the container. Pour until water runs out of the bottom of the container, and use pot saucers under containers to retain the water for longer.
Find out when and how to water your garden.
2. Reduce Evaporation from the Soil
Mulch with organic material like as compost, leaves, or grass clippings after watering to shade the soil, keep the root zone cooler, and minimize evaporation.
Shade the soil with a living mulch by planting thickly and/or utilizing plants with big leaves, such as squashes.
3. Don’t Fertilize in Hot Weather
Plants grow faster when nutrients are added, placing them under additional stress in hot conditions. They’ll also require additional water to digest the fertilizer! Stop fertilizing when it gets above 85-90ºF or when plants roll up their leaves, drop their flowers, or stop producing new flowers.
4. Provide Shade
To give shade for plants, pin shade cloth or other fabric, such as old bed sheets, to frames or hoops.
Cool-season vegetables like cabbage and lettuce, as well as fruits like strawberries, will benefit from shade from the intense afternoon heat.
5. Harvest Sooner Rather Than Later
Harvesting fruits or leaves promptly will help save your plant’s energy. To give your plants a vacation, harvest partly ripened crops like tomatoes and continue ripening them in the kitchen. Plants may slow down in hot weather, but yields should improve as the temperature drops.
Related Questions
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How can we save plants from extreme heat?
How to Protect Your Garden During a Heat Wave
- Mulch, ideally reflecting mulch such as dried grass clippings, should be applied.
- Water your plants and bushes first thing in the morning.
- Use shade cloth or protective row covers. …
- Place fresh transplants under the shade of taller neighbors.
- Keep lawns at least three inches tall.
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Can plants recover from extreme heat?
Plants partially welt as a technique to conserve water and reduce moisture loss from their leaves when exposed to intense sun, even if they are well hydrated. In most cases, plants completely recover after the sun has set or when placed in shade without the need for extra water.
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How do you lower the temperature of a plant?
5 temperature-controlling ideas for your developing environment
- Properly size your HVAC system. …
- Make sure your greenhouses have appropriate heating and cooling capability.
- Install horizontal air flow (HAF) fans. …
- During high-light and high-temperature months, use shade drapes.
- Measure temperature correctly.
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How do plants survive in hot weather?
Plants also adapt to higher temperatures by modifying their physiological and morphological properties. They may choose to reorient or bluntly shed their leaves and, for plants that can afford it, cause local cooling by increased water evaporation.
