Summer Care

Apr 02, 2021

Hey Plantaholics, how are your plants doing? My plants are doing great, but I am horrified to think about the coming summer. Where I live, spring is approaching its end, and before you know it, it will be summertime. Summer for us here is usually ≥ 40°C, which can only mean one thing - my plants will need extra care to survive through the heat!

I hope some of the tips that I shared previously have been helpful for you. Today, I will be sharing my summer care tips that I typically apply for my plants. I can only hope that they will be strong enough to handle the heat!

  1. First and most importantly, do not let your plants remain thirsty. Water doesn’t just nourish the plants, but it also helps to cool the soil and roots. Once watered, the area around the plants will also become moist, increasing the humidity.
  2. The next equally important tip is to water at the right time. Plants should be watered either in the morning before 9 AM or late in the evening after 6.30 PM. This is specifically true for plants that are under the bright hot sun most of the day. If you water when the soil is still heated from the sunlight, the roots will get “cooked,” which could damage your plants.
  3. Another way of keeping the soil from heating up is mulching. Mulching is the act of spreading a layer of some organic material over the soil. Not only will this layer of mulch act as a heat absorber, but it also helps to retain moisture. You can make homemade mulch using dried leaves from your garden, hay, or even shredded newspapers. 
  4. If your plants are located on cement or tiled floor like me, you’ll notice that the floor will absorb heat quickly on a sunny day, and for as long as the sun is out, it will remain hot! This can damage the plants. To keep the ground cool, I place wet jute bags or old quilts on the floor. This simple solution can absorb the heat generated from sun radiation.
  5. You can also put up a green shade net over your plants. 
  6. One more method to create a cool atmosphere for the plants is to group plants with similar water requirements. Not only will you reduce the frequency of watering (and saving water), but it’s also easier for you to keep track of which plants need to be watered!
  7. Avoid pruning your plants aggressively in the summer. New sprouts of leaves are more delicate, and chances are, they can get burnt from the harsh sun.
  8. Install automatic water sprinklers in your garden, and you can set them to turn on when the sun’s intensity is highest! 
  9. Keep bowls of water in and around your garden. These water bowls can help increase your garden’s humidity, thus cooling the air around the plants. 1. Plus, birds will thank you for your generosity in providing them a pitstop to quench their thirst.

You can try any of these methods to help your plants get through the summer heat. Happy summer!