Lately when I am in the garden, those immortal words of the Wicked Witch of the West come to mind, but not because someone has thrown water on me. Quite the contrary, I wish someone would throw a bucket of water on me! The heat and humidity definitely “get” to me these summer days. I am doing my gardening most days early in the morning before the sun hits my southwest facing yard.
Here are a few things to watch for in your gardens during this steamy time of the year:
Irrigation – For heavens sake, if we get one of those afternoon thunderstorms, turn off your irrigation. More plants are killed from too much water than too little. Rain water is much better for your plants than county water with its chemical treatments, but too much of a good thing is just too much of a good thing. Root rot and fungal diseases are very real problems right now. If you do need to irrigate, remember that early in the morning is the best time – before the sun heats up the soil. Our water department does request that you not water between 3AM and 9AM. Water either earlier than 3:00 or after 9:00 although this is not ideal. If you water in the evening, moisture can cause some disease issues and if you water in the heat of the day, most of it evaporates before the plant is able to take the water up from the roots. When the night temperatures get above 70, our poor plants continue to engage in transpiration all night long. Think of how exhausted you would be if you panted all night long. Unfortunately, the symptoms of over watering and under watering are the same – droopy leaves. If plants are too dry, the leaves droop because they are not getting moisture. If plants are too wet and the roots have rotted, the leaves also droop because the roots are unable to bring water up the stems. A moisture meter is a good investment although I just put my finger down into the soil to see if it is moist or dry.
Mulch – Mulching is always helpful to keep the soil cooler. I have been using mushroom compost as a mulch. It helps to enrich the soil as the nutrients leach down, it keeps weed growth down, and it will keep the soil cooler. Shredded bark mulch or pine straw are perfectly fine mulches and will also break down eventually to help the soil
Weeds – Weeds love hot and moist conditions. The worst weed you will see now is Chamber bitter. This innocuous looking little weed has hundred of seeds under its stems and can grow to six feet tall. It spreads like crazy, but fortunately can be easily pulled out when young. Dog fennel grows well here and looks like a small fluffy tree. Various spurges will try to take over your garden beds as well. Pull, pull, and pull. Do not compost these unless your yard waste goes to a professional composter where the temperature is so high that weed seeds will be killed.
Sad Plants—Some of your plants may look sad right now. It is fine to cut them back. I have cut my geraniums (Pelargoniums) way back and put them in the shade. When the weather gets cooler, they will come back. I have also cut down some salvias that look tatty. It will not hurt plants to have a summer haircut. Keep on with deadheading flowers. This signals the plant to produce more blooms.
Fertilizer – With our poor plants in a constant state of transpiring (or breathing to put it in human terms ), you may need to fertilize. I try not to and opt to just depend upon compost for nutrients. In the middle of summer though, plants will need a pick me up. Container plants will definitely need a slow release fertilizer. Do not use a liquid as it will just wash away. Granular is better to use.
These are just a few tips to help you get through these drippy, three t shirt, two shower days. Remember to hydrate yourselves as well as your plants and we will survive.
