Even the most skilful gardeners need help navigating the dog days of this year and ensuring not only that their plants resist but also that their growth is unhindered. With temperatures that haven’t been this high in years, it’s only natural to worry about the development of your plants, be they flowers, greeneries, vegetables, herbs, or fruits. Even the erratic U.K. weather raises obstacles in the healthy growth of photosynthetic organisms, all the more if they’re directly exposed to unstable meteorological phenomena. This means you don’t need to be alarmed by the thought of Kuwait-like heat waves to help your plants through a blazing summer, especially as ensuring their healthy thriving can be a breeze. How can you do this?
Below, you’ll find the most important and efficient measures, ranked by priority, to safeguard your plants from hot weather.
Get self-watering planters
Whether you want to grow your plants and flowers at home or on your porch, you need a few things to get started. Besides the right seeds, soil, and nutrients, you’ll have to choose the right planter. This means you’ll consider your plant’s stages of growth and the size of its roots. Keep in mind that most plants need repotting once their roots spread, requiring the acquisition of a new pot or planter.
As expected, your plant will change pots, whether it’s in a nascent stage or you simply want to ensure a safe growing space. This is where self-watering planters come into the equation to ensure your plant never runs out of water and lives at the right temperature constantly.
Self-watering planters are recipients of integrated water reservoirs that allow plants to care for themselves, regulate temperature, keep their soil sufficiently moist, and optimize airflow. Besides ensuring your plants don’t dry up, some elevated planters ensure they navigate the incipient stage smoothly since it can be the trickiest to nail. You can find planters with propagators that help the seeds and plant flourish, safeguarded by heat and direct sunlight. An integrated ventilation panel slides to keep airflow in control and plants’ photosynthesis sustained. Trays differ in size and height, so you can grow almost any plant in any nook and space.
Deep watering
Once again, water directly impacts your plants’ growth. Pouring water at the soil’s surface is fine and commonplace, but most plants thrive when the bottom of the planter is moistened. This is where their roots lie, so you’ll want to ensure the basis of your plants never lacks moisture. Some plants don’t naturally dig too much into the soil, making it easier to determine where their roots are and damping the soil.
Nevertheless, it’s important to remember that the soil shouldn’t be drenched in water. If you have a busy schedule and are always on the run, keeping your plants healthy without the right planters and pots could turn out to be impossible. According to experts at https://www.elho.com/en, the tendency to overwater plants during heat waves occurs even among the most experienced gardeners and can impact their greeneries momentarily or even forever. You must test the soil before pouring water and ensure that water is not trapped, as plants can stock moist to use later in an effort to secure their resistance when the mercury spikes in thermometers.
Always check the temperature
Summertime watering is a thing and should be treated mindfully. Regardless of how tempting it may be to water your plants after having coffee or before turning the TV on, remember that there are a few hours a day when you can do it safely. Depending on the temperatures registered during that day, your flowers’ soil could be warm or extremely hot. If the latter is true, watering your plants could cause calefaction. Spraying your greeneries to regulate their temperature can help only when it’s not too hot outside.
Night watering is the best thing you can do for your plants. Since it isn’t necessarily the healthiest undertaking, the reasonable thing to do is get quality and sophisticated planters that will promote their upkeep all day and protect them from the sizzling rays.
Remember that watering your plants during chilly nights may promote mildew. If this is the case in your region, the only right thing to do is irrigate them right after the sun rises and before it shines. Moisten your plants daily, and if you skip one, prioritize their irrigation as soon as temperatures drop the subsequent day.
Create shade
Sunlight may be your plants’ raison d’être, but too powerful of a ray can be their end. Most greeneries need shady spaces that can regulate their temperature, so make sure they’re protected from the scorching rays when they’re peaking.
An umbrella, shade cloth, or bed sheet can cut it if it allows air to circulate. You can even set up a cardboard shelter to protect your green pals in the afternoon, when the sun is the most intense.
Switch containers carefully or not at all
Plants and flowers despise change, all the more if the temperature is too hot to handle. Relocating your greenery from one planter to another may harm their growth when temperatures reach triple digits.
Not only are your plants struggling to adjust to the unknown environment, but they’ll also need a different watering ritual. Almost certainly, they’ll have a larger planter, making overwatering them more probable.
Skip fertilizers
While fertilizers are created to help plants grow, the same doesn’t apply when the sun burns at its peak. Root systems are tested in extreme heat, and some concentrated nutrients may not lighten their load. For instance, combinations containing salt can lead to burns. Only a few products are safe for plant feeding during summers, and these are mainly low in nitrogen and organic.
Leave the foliage alone
The same brown branches and leaves that may indicate your plants have been exposed to too much sun are the ones saving your plant’s life. Leaves turn brownish when they’re over- or under-watered, too.
However, look at the full side of the glass since these elements shelter your plant from the sun and prevent additional damage. This is not the time to use the pruner – just ensure your plants are better cared for from now on.
The seven tips mentioned above will help your plants survive the scorching temperatures and thrive. If you have any other insights, please share them with other gardeners!
