9 Essential Gardening Skills for Surviving Extreme Summer Heat
A guide from Quartz details nine crucial gardening techniques necessary for ensuring plant survival amidst intense summer temperatures. Gardens frequently suffer due to a range of ineffective practices. Essential techniques encompass deep, infrequent watering, applying 2-4 inches of mulch, and recognizing the difference between typical wilting and drought stress. Recommended strategies involve providing shade in the afternoon, planting during cooler times, choosing heat-resistant varieties, minimizing fertilization during heat waves, clustering plants based on their water requirements, and acknowledging dormancy as a survival tactic. The article discusses specific mechanisms of heat damage and points out frequent errors such as volcano mulching and excessive watering. It also suggests practical methods like using soaker hoses and monitoring soil moisture, noting that some plants naturally enter dormancy in extreme heat.
Key facts
- Deep watering to a depth of six inches or more encourages deeper root growth and heat tolerance.
- Mulch should be applied at a depth of two to four inches to effectively insulate soil.
- Normal midday wilting in plants like squash and cucumbers often resolves by evening and does not require watering.
- Shade cloth can be used during the hottest afternoon hours to protect heat-sensitive plants.
- Planting and harvesting should be done in the cooler morning or evening hours to reduce stress.
- Heat-tolerant varieties, such as lettuce that resists bolting, are essential for summer succession planting.
- High-nitrogen fertilizers can compound heat stress; reducing fertilization during heat waves is advised.
- Grouping plants by water needs (hydrozoning) avoids the dilemma of over- or under-watering in mixed beds.
- Some plants, including cool-season lawn grasses, enter dormancy and brown during extreme heat but recover when conditions moderate.
Entities
Institutions
- Quartz
Sources
- Quartz —