Help your Plants Beat the Heat
12:00 AM - Jun 26, 2009
Well, it hot. We all know that, so no need in dwelling on it. Hey, we could live up north, but it just ain't Austin up there now is it!
So now that you've got a your garden going, how can you keep it alive in this crazy heat? Well, here are my top 5 tips:
#1- Water DEEP. Most xeriscapic plants do not need to be watered every day, but occasional deep waterings is what they want. When I say deep, I mean AT LEAST 20-30 minutes per area. Soaker hoses or spot sprinklers are great for this purpose. I generally go about 30-45 minutes myself. This is done every 10 days to 2 weeks for shrubs and larger material. Every 5-8 days for perennials and such. These time frames are for relatively newly planted plants. Very established plants may need even less. Of course, water early or late, never the middle of the day, and be conscious of overspray and wasted water.
#2- Liquid Seaweed. This all natural extract form the sea is my #1 recommendation for generally healthy plants, but especially in summer. Seaweed contain high levels of Potassium silicate, the building blocks of a plant's cell walls. Given to plants as a foliar weed every 2 weeks or so, it makes their cells thicker and stronger. This helps stand up to the brutal conditions they face. Starting in early spring is best, but it's never too late.
#3- Cut back and dead head. Many of our favorite perennials for Austin have beautiful flowers all spring and fall, but they tend to take a break in the heat of summer. This is because many plants need to "rest" overnight. When our low temps are in the upper 70's to 80's, they just don't get that chance. Also, if allowed to grow unchecked for several months, many perennials will get very large and tend to "fall apart" when the first fall rains come. Solution - Cut those suckers back!! Cutting perennials in summer accomplishes 2 things. One, it prevents the fore mentioned overgrown plant in fall, and two, it reduces leaf mass, which reduces water transpiration and drought stress. So many people are afraid to cut on plants. Don't be, it's in their best interest. One special note!!! Some plants LOVE the summer heat and will bloom right through it, so don't cut them too hard. Pride of Barbados and Yellow Bells come to mind. Not sure? Call us and we'll be glad to steer you in the right direction.
#4- Stop over fertilizing. While some tropical and sub-tropical plants need fertilizing on a very regular basis (think Hibiscus, Bougainvillea, Citrus, etc...), most plants don't need to be growing in the heat. Personally, I fertilize in the very early spring and very late summer (organic fertilizers, like the ones I use, take a couple of weeks to break down and start working, so late summer application leads to early fall feeding). Fertilizer should be used to augment a plant's natural growth, not force a plant to grow when it doesn't want to.
#5- Mulch. If want your soil to have any chance of retaining any moisture it may get, you need to put down mulch. And don't skimp. Mulch is generally cheap and does it's job well. Wood mulch, stone, leaf litter, whatever you can get to cover the soil will help.
Hopefully these tips will help your garden through these hot days. And remember, garden early or late, wear sunscreen and a hat, and give yourself a good deep watering when you are out in the garden.
