A lot of people want to figure out how to protect their plants during heat waves so that way they can keep them from dying. Evergreen Landscapes has a few ideas that you can use to keep your Burlington or Oakville garden protected and healthy.
The Benefits of Mulch
First of all, you want to make sure you protect the soil surface that surrounds your plants since the extreme heat will soak up a lot of the moisture from the ground surface which can ruin your garden. You’ll want to do this by adding mulch.
Adding Mulch serves as a multi-purpose idea. First of all, mulch can protect the top soil from direct sunlight which can soak up a lot of the moisture. Secondly, the mulch can reduce the amount of moisture that’s in the soil from the sunlight. Different mulch types can help with heat waves. Some colours of the mulch like light mulches can help reflect the light which seems to help prevent from the sunlight absorbing the moisture.
You can use grass clippings for vegetable gardens and small flower gardens to help fertilize your garden. You can use bark mulch for your shrubbery which also help from weeds growing in your garden.
Timing of Watering your Garden is Critical
If you know you you’re going to have a heat wave the next day it is important to water your garden in the morning. This way the ground is able to soak up the water before the sun and the heat are able to absorb the water and send it to the roots of the plants. This also helps prevent from your leaves from heat scalding.
Some plants will need to be watered a second time, especially if they are new nursery beds or seedlings. During the heat, plants need the proper watering. You can use soaker hoses to give water to the plants constantly but preferably you would want to hand water your garden to give your garden the right amount of water needed. Since you also water in the morning it can help against fungal disease and well as slugs from ruining your garden.
Keep Plants Cool in the Shade
You want to have a lot of shade for your garden if your garden is at least protected from the sun for a part of the day it helps keep the moisture inside your garden which gives the plants a lot more time to soak up the water. You can also create your own shade for you plants are you can even get shade cloths for them.
If you have moved some of your other plants into a new area the heat wave would hit the hardest on them because they haven’t taken root into the new ground around them so they won’t be able to absorb the moisture to its maximum. So try planting them into the shade of other taller plants so the sun effects them less. This way the sun won’t affect them as much, and also plant them by plants that you will be removing soon so that way when they do take root you will be removing the older plant and they will start getting the proper sunlight that they need.
Another tip would keep your grass a bit longer to around 3” which will cast longer shadows into your garden which will also help you maintain moisture. You don’t want to add fertilizers into your grass since when it’s warm outside its hard for the grass to absorb the nutrients it needs so you want to wait till it cools down.
Hamilton Heatwaves and your Garden
Make sure you follow these tips when taking care of your lawn and garden. Heat waves are short enough that you don’t have to worry about your gardens too much but the longer heat waves are more of a challenge. With these helpful tips you should be able to keep your garden healthy.
