Many places around the world are experiencing extreme heat this summer. And while there isn’t much you can do right now to get the temperature to drop back down, there are things you can do to protect yourself and your property from this weather. And especially if you have a garden at home, you’re going to want to take steps to ensure that your plants don’t all shrivel up and die after being left out in the heat and sun for too long.
To help you see how you can counteract this weather phenomenon, here are three tips for protecting your garden from extreme heat.
Put Out Some Additional Mulch
Oftentimes, it’s not the heat that bothers the plants in your garden as much as it is the sun burning down on them. Especially for new plants or plants that don’t have a large root system, being scorched by the sun for even just a short period of time can be devastating.
In situations like this, what your plants need is an added layer of protection between them and the sun. To accomplish this, it’s wise to put some additional mulch in your garden or on your flower beds. With this added layer of mulch—be it wood chips, leaves, straw, or any other organic material—there will be more that the sun has to go through in order to reach your plants, which can help keep them out of the direct sunlight and maintain more of their moisture.
Water At The Right Times
When it’s hot and dry outside, your plants need you to be very careful about when and how you water them.
While you might think that watering your garden when it’s the hottest outside would do the most good for cooling off and protecting your plants, the opposite is actually true. If you water during the hottest, sunniest parts of the day, the water you’re using is essentially going to waste since it’s not being able to get soaked into the plants before it evaporates. Knowing this, it’s best to water early in the morning before the heat and the sunlight have really set in.
Construct More Shade
If your home or building uses the sun to create energy, then you likely don’t want to have too much shade in your area. But for the sake of your garden, you may want to bring in some makeshift shade when the temperatures start to rise.
Stringing up any kind of material that will block the sun from your plants will help to protect them and limit the amount of stress they experience. So if you have some old sheets, cheesecloth, or even cardboard that you can set up above your plants, they’ll have a much better chance of surviving.
If you have extreme heat and temperatures headed your way, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you protect your garden from this weather.
Leave a Reply