Inspite of another rather cool and wet spring this year, summer heat has now arrived in spades. As nice as this may be, it could be tough on our plants.
Sudden heat, with soaring temperatures, creates demand for moisture which cannot always be met on short notice by the root systems of many plants. The result is burnt blossoms, damaged foliage and fruit drop. Fortunately, there are ways of minimizing the problems caused by this sudden fluctuation in weather.
The most immediate relief for plants is a thorough, deep watering. It is best to do this early in the morning when the plants will make the greatest use of the water.
Watering in the evening is not the best use of water because plants transpire valuable moisture away. The other huge issue is where to water. Soaker hoses around the drip line of all trees and shrubs is the most effective way to water.
A little water is worse than no water. When you water, saturate the soil deeply where the roots are to keep them going downward instead of upward in an effort to capture what little moisture there is.
The next most important task is to mulch all your trees and shrubs with suitable material. You should be looking for something which is a good insulator, can eventually be worked into the soil and has an attractive appearance.
Garden compost is fine if it is well broken down, but its appearance is not always the best, especially when it dries out. Manures are also fine, but remember that they are slightly on the alkaline side and can cause problems with your acid-loving plants like rhododendrons and camellias.
If you use manures, be sure they have been composted for at least six months or use mushroom compost. Grass clippings are quite suitable in the short run but once dried out, they tend to look rather shabby.
My preferred choice is always fir or hemlock bark mulch. Bark is a wonderful insulator, it looks great and makes a fine soil amendment. A covering of three to four inches around all your plant material will prevent a great deal of stress, especially for shallow-rooted plants like rhododendrons.
A thorough watering is the most important stress-relieving factor for all the plants under the eaves of your home. Heat reflected off buildings can be a real challenge for plants, so please do not neglect both the sun and shade areas under the eaves. Here, too, I find soaker hoses and drip systems are, by far, the most efficient and thorough method of watering.
Remember for all your veggies, annuals, perennial beds and containers, try to get in the habit of watering very thoroughly to make sure the roots and soil are moist down deep, not just on the surface. Water less frequently, but really soak the soil when you do water.
Try to move away from overhead sprinklers and towards root soaking systems. They are much more efficient and are great water conservers. It only makes sense to water where the plants are versus soaking everything.
With proper soil preparation, mulching and watering, all our garden plants should be able to withstand both heat and water restrictions. To conserve water, we all need to change the way we use water around our homes, even collecting it in rain barrels from our eave troughs when it rains.
