5 Tips for Making Sure Your Plants Survive a Heatwave
We've already had about two or three heatwaves hit the UK recently, within the last two or three weeks. But with the intense sunshine beaming down on my beloved plants, it got me thinking more about how best to look after them while the weather continues to be hot.
It can be a tough challenge to navigate, but so far, the things I've been doing have done the trick *touch wood*. So seeing as they're tried and tested, and they've been successful, I thought I'd share with you my top tips for looking after plants and flowers during a heatwave. Let's get into it!
1. Water, water, water (either early morning or evening)
During a heatwave, plants and flowers need to be thoroughly watered every day, especially if they're in a container. But you should never water your plants or grass during the height of the sunshine. You should wait for the sun to go down in the evening or while it's low in the sky early in the morning. This helps to prevent leaf and petal burn, which can be responsible for killing a plant off completely.
2. Avoid getting leaves & foliage wet
When watering your plants, make sure that the water stream is directed right at the base of plant and not over the top of them, regardless of the plant type or its size. It can be difficult not to completely wet leaves and foliage when watering, especially with a hose. This is why a watering can is often your best bet while the sun is scorching every day.
3. Mulch or feed
When the weather is hot, it's essential that you're mulching your plants and giving them a good feed once a week or so. Mulching will help to prevent the soil from drying out, whilst also retaining moisture from the watering you've done.
It can also act as a weed suppressant and your plants and flowers will also find some nutrition in the mulch you lay down at the base. Feeding your plants and flowers during a heatwave is also a good way of keeping them happy throughout conditions where they're likely a bit stressed.
4. Move potted plants into the shade
This can depend on the plant or flower you have, but most of them cannot tolerate many hours of direct hot sunlight. This is especially the case if the plant or flower likes both sun and shade. If your plant requires a mixture of both, move them out of the sun during the hottest part of the day. This can also prevent them from drying out as well as prevent leaf or petal burn. Essentially, you're mitigating the risk of a very stressed plant, which can cause it to die, ultimately.
5. Don't plant new additions during a heatwave
The best time to plant and establish new plants is in the spring or autumn. If you absolutely need to put new plants into the ground or into a container, then make sure the heatwave has passed before doing so. Temperatures should be allowed to return to the seasonal norm, basically.
This is because new or young plants can become stressed under harsh weather conditions. Just as this can include frost and ice, sweltering direct sunlight can have the same effect on plant life, especially if they're young or tender.
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I hope you enjoyed this blog post and that you've found it useful. Let everyone know in the comments what you like to do during a heatwave to keep your plants happy and I'll see you again very soon with some brand new content!
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