Post written by Myrah Abrar
Having a garden is a blessing, but it is a challenge to maintain a healthy and growing garden.
I know this from experience; I moved into my own house with a small backyard a little while back, and trust me, I was constantly googling my way out of garden problems. Either I was looking for ways to root out the weeds overpowering my plants, or I was looking for ways to protect them from burning and dying during a heatwave.
So yes, my heart goes into this topic, and trust me when I tell you, I did a ton of research searching for ways to protect my garden during a heatwave and consider myself your local internet authority on the subject.
So here is what I learned on how to protect garden plants in a heatwave, tried and tested!
1. Use mulch – Lots and lots of mulch
All experienced gardeners know that the best defense against the heatwave is to use extra mulch on your garden to cover the soil. I remember as an amateur gardener, that was my first line of defense that worked.
So here are a few tips for you to apply mulch to your garden:
- Apply a thick layer of mulch around your plants to protect them. This will protect the soil around them from sun exposure and give them the ability to absorb all the nutrients.
- Mulch will reduce the evaporation of water as well.
- I recommend you use light-colored mulch during the heatwave as this will maintain a cool surface for your plants.
- There are various types of mulch materials that you can buy and use in your garden as per your needs.
2. Water your plants wisely
Water your plants early in the mornings. Why am I saying this? Because when you water the plants early in the morning before the sun comes scorching in them, the plants have more time to absorb all the nutrients and avoid the soil from drying out, and your plants and grass are getting burnt.
A lot of us have water sprinklers, so if you are one of those, set it to sprinkle early in the morning. Also, make sure that your sprinklers are not sprinkling hot water; you might have a gas certificate to ease your heart that the water heating system setting is perfect, but you can still check them again.
Sometimes your plants might need another set of watering in the evening as well; in that case, water them around 4 pm to 5 pm. This will ensure your plants don’t burn out and don’t die.
Make sure you are getting the most out of the time spent watering your garden by reading our recent blog post: 5 common watering mistakes you are probably making.
3. Use protective covers
Have you ever been to a plant nursery and seen that a few plants are kept in the shade, or a protective cover is being used to shield them from direct sunlight?
When you are into gardening, you understand that a few plants need sunlight, while some do not need direct sunlight. Some plants can be damaged by too much direct sunlight, particularly during intensive heatwave episodes. Protective covers and shade cloths are useful for helping sensitive plants survive heatwaves.
You need to make sure that the cloth you are using as a protective cover can withstand harsh winds and is tied properly, so it doesn’t fall on the plants. You can make homemade cloth by using fishnets and other suitable fabrics.
4. The right way to mow your lawn
When mowing your lawn, I recommend you adjust your blade settings to a point where the grass is not cut to such a level that it is not able to provide shade to the soil. A few points for you to remember are:
- The growth of your lawn’s grass will slow during the summer. To be precise, let us say during July and August, the grass may appear to not be growing at all. So do not worry. This is normal.
- Do not put in extra fertilizers to make your grass grow faster. You will end up just polluting the environment.
You might also be interested in learning more about organic lawncare tips.
5. Make sure your plants have all the nutrients they need
Just like you take care of what goes in your body, similarly, you need to take extra special care of your plant’s consumption nutrients too. During a heatwave, your plants and lawn may be under extra stress. As gardeners, it is extra important to make sure that we remove any other stresses on our plants, such as those from nutrient deficiencies.
Adding extra compost to your soils is the best long term way to ensure that your plants have access to all the essential nutrients and minerals that they need.
And remember, bokashi tea is full of all of the beneficial bokashi microbes that help to unlock the nutrients and minerals in your soil. Bokashi tea can be an easy way to add these microbes to areas of your garden where it is more difficult to bury bokashi pre-compost, such as on you lawn or in heavily planted areas.
6. Plan for future climates
Unfortunately, it is likely that heatwaves and extreme weather events will become increasingly common in the future. When planning changes to your garden or adding new plants, take this into consideration. Choose plants that are more tolerant to droughts and include more shade providing structures and shrubs to protect more sensitive plants.
You’re ready to protect your garden plants during a heatwave
If you are like me and love gardens, remember love also means that you need to act in favor of your loved ones. This also means taking care of them and their needs. I sincerely hope that my tips will help you keep your garden safe and protect it from a heatwave.
Author Bio:
Myrah Abrar is a computer science graduate with a passion for web development and digital marketing. She writes blog articles for Gas Safety Certs.
Order now! Find all your bokashi composting supplies in our online shop.
Other posts you might like to read:
Tips for saving water in your garden
The importance of healthy soil
5 common watering mistakes you are probably making
What’s the buzz about Bokashi Composting?
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