As I write, I am looking at my garden with the sun blasting its rays onto my plants. This year we have had a series of heatwaves with perhaps more to come. Here are some tips to help your plants survive this unusual, brutal weather.
Leave the lawn alone
Even though aesthetically you will not want to see your lawn turn brown, grass is very tolerant with lack of water. Brown will turn back to green when it starts raining again after the summer.
Early morning and evening
If you have a lot of plants in pots the ideal time to water them is early morning and late evening. If plants have water on their leaves the sun can act as a magnifying glass and burn them. If you have a vegetable garden then only water what is necessary. Lettuces and tomatoes and other surface rooting plants need watering daily, whereas more deep rooted vegetables like parsnips, potatoes and carrots can survive and are more resilient.
Mulching
Although too late for this year, when the soil is moist, in the spring, a 5cm layer of mulch will help conserve water in the summer. It can also be added to pots to retain water and not evaporate in the sun.
No digging
This is good news. Digging in dry soil can damage soil structure and increase moisture loss.
Hosepipes
There are several hosepipe bans throughout the UK and more being announced every day. So, bad news for gardeners whom, I am afraid, will have to water using a watering can.
Whilst this maybe time consuming and back breaking it is important that we conserve our water supplies.
