Gad zooks! It’s supposed to be a hot one this weekend, with temps topping 90. You can seek shelter in air-conditioned comfort, take an ice bath or hide out in a movie theater watching “Transformers” over and over, but what can your plants do? Here are some ways to help your garden beat the heat:

Water. Early morning is best, because there’s less loss to evaporation. But if you can’t water early, water in the evening, once it’s cooled off a bit. (Nighttime watering isn’t the best because it can encourage plant pests and diseases.) And remember, water thoroughly rather than often. Set the sprinkler or soaker hose and leave it go for a while. Watering with a watering can will likely leave your plants thirsty.

Mulch. If you haven’t mulched already, add an inch or two of organic material (hay, straw, shredded leaves, partially completed compost, etc.) to your garden beds, around trees and shrubs, even in your containers. Mulch helps hold soil moisture in and keep soil temperatures down.

Move. Your potted plants, that is. Group containers together in the shade, at least during the hottest part of the day. That will help keep them from wilting.

Be nice to your grass. Continue to water your grass at least once a week, even if it’s starting to turn brown. If you give up and stop watering completely, you can permanently damage the little grass plants. If your grass is drying out and browning, stay off it as much as you can.

Keep chemicals at bay. Plants (including grass plants) are likely to be stressed by the hot, dry weather, so it’s not the best time to fertilize or treat for insects. Wait until the weather cools.

Don’t panic. At the end of a really hot, dry day your plants may look wilted, but they’ll likely survive. Just water when they’re dry — and wait for cooler weather.

What do you do for your plants when it’s this hot?

This entry was posted on Friday, July 6th, 2007 at 3:32 pm and is filed under Lawn care, Weather woes, Weekend to-dos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.