Gardening in the summer heat can be exhausting for you as well as your plants. Heat can be extremely hard on plants, drying them out and causing them to wither. Without proper care, intense heat can stunt the growth of the plants and result in smaller than normal fruit.
Here are 7 gardening tips to take care of your plants this summer:
- Use Shade Cloth: Drape shade cloth over plants to protect them from the direct sunlight. You can also purchase small metal hoops and place them around each plant, so the shade cloth does not damage any delicate leaves.
- Keep Plants Well Irrigated: Water your plants thoroughly each night, so that the water has a chance to leach down into the root bed.
- Use Ample Fertilizer: Make sure to fertilize at night. Place the fertilizer on the ground, so it doesn’t burn or damage the leaves.
- Create a Ditch: Create a ditch and allow water to drain into it as often as possible. When this is done close to sunset, the water has a chance to soak in before it evaporates.
- Choose Plants That Prefer Heat: Choose plants that like hot temperatures. They are more likely to be drought resistant and are better able to withstand high temperatures without wilting.
Related Post: Xeriscaping: How You Can Create a Drought Tolerant Landscape - Pick Fruits When They Are Ripe: Always pick fruits as soon as they are ripe. This way they don’t take up water that other plants need to grow.
- Give Each Plant Plenty of Space: Give each plant enough space to grow. This allows their roots to spread out and gather the water they need from the soil.