4 Secrets to Growing in the Heat Part 1
4 Steps to Growing successfully in the Heat
Here are steps 1 and 2
- Plants love a drink!
The first and most important secret to growing in the heat of summer is water. Just like we get thirsty on a hot day, so do our plants. They sweat too, but remember to high school biology - for plants it’s called evapotranspiration and moisture is lost from leaves and exposed roots.
- Seedlings and seeds must be treated like babies. Give them plenty to drink so they don’t dehydrate. I give mine a splash of water twice a day to ensure they don’t dry out. Once they have dried, they may not recover.
- Provide a well around each of your water loving trees like citrus and fruiting trees. A donut shaped indent in the soil will help rain and irrigation water to percolate into the soil rather than run off over the slope and into the neighbour’s garden.
- Re-mulch your beds in the orchard and yes, the vegie garden and pots as well. Always apply mulch to moist soil.
- A water-filled 2 litre bottle with a small nail hole or two in the base will slowly water potted plants and ferns on a hot day. The hole in the base equalizes the pressure in the bottle when you turn it upside down so that the water can escape into the soil.
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Check your irrigation system for blockages. Ants and lizards love to hide in the pipe or tubing and will quickly block the sprayers, leaving gaps in the coverage when you turn the system on again.
- A water feature that splashes gently can provide valuable humidity for moisture lovers like soft leafy greens, ferns, coriander and herby moisture lovers like stevia, mint, lemon balm and Vietnamese mint. If you have a smallish water feature in the form of a pot with fountain, move it near these plants in summer and turn it on during the day. Or, move potted plants to this area. Here I have Vietnamese mint and another mint sitting happily inthe pot.
- Plants can get sunburnt too!
A day in the sun can be really taxing for both people and plants, so give your tender little things some respite from the sun by providing shade. We have a number of shade alternatives for the garden. Visitors could be forgiven for thinking I had gone completely mad when they drop in to find the old umbrella laying over the seedlings, a chook tractor with shadecloth over it and the palm frond sheaths in rows over the Chinese Greens. However, it’s just making the most of what we have around and it’s all free!
- I grow lettuce, coriander and rocket that would normally bolt to flower in the heat, under shade cloth for the life of the plant if it’s a sunny spot.
- Choose a shadier space in your garden for summer cool lovers. I keep the spots that receive afternoon shade from the house for the tenderest plants.
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When transplanting your plants or seedlings, dip them into seaweed solution or Stimulate for 5 minutes before planting out. It makes a world of difference.
- Give new seedlings a bit of respite from the heat after planting. Throw a piece of shadecloth, an umbrella, palm fronds or leafy trimmings from your trees over them for the first few days while they acclimatize to life in the garden bed.
- Stimulate seed germination and root development , with Fulvic acid. I sell the organic form as Stimulate. It’s awesome! Email me to order yours at just $21.95 per pack. It lasts AGES.
Part 2 coming up... Plants love a darned good feed and plants get peeved by creepy crawlies too.