Watering the garden during a heat wave should occur in the morning so that the heat does not evaporate the moisture and scorch the plants.
(Courtesy: Robert Slade. flickr.com)
Many times old Mother Nature can throw you a curve. You may be experiencing a nice balmy spring season when suddenly a sweltering heat wave settles on your area.
The sizzling heat not only affects your ability to enjoy the outdoors, it also causes you to fear for the survival of your garden. You know that many plants are vulnerable, but you don’t know how to protect them at least until the mild weather returns.
Experts in the field of gardening warn that you focus on the soil. They suggest that you lay an abundance of a reflective kind of mulch like dry grass clippings around the plants. The soil is protected from direct sunlight, moisture is kept on the surface, and the mulch helps to limit evaporation of water, thus reducing the need for watering. Bark mulch can be put on the shrub beds. It prevents the appearance of weeds, shades the soil, and conserves water. However, bark mulch can contain weed seeds that can fall on to the soil and grow later.
Watering the garden seems to be an obvious approach. Experts suggest that you water shrubs and garden thoroughly early in the morning to prevent evaporation of the water during the hottest time of the day. Morning watering also defends against slugs and fungal diseases. In addition, it prevents heat scorching that can occur if the watering takes place later in the day when the sun is more directly overhead. A second watering of seed and nursery beds should be performed later in the day.
When you look for protection from the heat you usually seek out a shaded area. Shade protects garden plants from the sun’s rays too. You can cover the garden with shade cloth, which is available from garden and hardware stores. The cloth comes in an assortment of sizes, shade ratings, and configurations. The cloth shade rating identifies its ability to block out sunlight and range from 25 percent to 90 percent. Consult with the sales associate for the proper shade rating best for your species of plants.
Be sure to place the cloth to block the sunlight and still permit air to get to the plants. Positioning the cloth on one side or above the plants should be sufficient.
You can make your own shade cloth using such material as fish net with strips of cloth woven through it.
Some of the most susceptible plants to a heat wave are the transplants. The root systems have had only a short period of time to develop and are shallow leaving them more vulnerable to drying conditions in the top few inches of the soil. It is best to plant transplants next to taller plants that offer a shadow.
Don’t prune as much as you would on milder days. Just cut out the dead, infested or decayed portions of a plant. Disinfect the blade so that the cuts won’t allow entry for bugs and other pests. Try to prune overgrown shrubs or trees before a heat wave arrives.
Finally, don’t disturb the soil of your garden during a heat wave. If you do, you could release trapped water. You want the water to stay in the soil to assure hydration of the plants and to serve as a cooling source to keep the temperature down.
