Learn About Plant Care During A Heat Wave

The time to prepare for plant care during a heatwave begins long before it hits.

That said, in these days and times of uncertain weather, even areas that are not known for their high temperatures can be affected by a sudden heatwave and gardeners can find themselves farming in a heatwave.

Special care is needed with plants during a heatwave, and there are indeed recommendations for gardening in heatwaves.

Heat Wave Gardening

The American Horticultural Society provides a useful tool to help navigate heatwave gardening. They created a heat zone map that contains 12 zones in the United States.

Each zone indicates the average number of days per year that a heat event occurs when temperatures exceed 86 F (30 C), the temperature at which plants begin to experience heat.

Planning a garden specific to your climate is the best way to combat gardening in a heatwave. Although the map indicates whether you should plant heat-tolerant cultivars, this is not a panacea, especially if you have tender growing annuals.

So how do you care for plants in a heatwave? Start with healthy plants. Healthy plants are better able to tolerate heat than those stressed by lack of irrigation and nutrients or weakened by diseases and pests.

Plant in well-drained soil, rich in organic nutrients and easy to keep watered. Also, plant at the correct depth; roots too close to the surface fry during a heatwave.

Caring for Plants in a Heatwave

Even when your plants are in the best possible condition, they still need expert care during a heatwave.

Make sure they are watered (water early in the morning), cover the roots with mulch to keep them fresh and help retain moisture and provide shade.

The shade can take the form of shade cloth, an old sheet, or even an umbrella. Despite your best efforts to care for plants in a heatwave, some will inevitably fail.

Cold weather crops will get worse, for example. Sometimes you have to cut your losses and simply replant with heat-tolerant vegetables like beans, chard, or carrots.

Container-Grown Plants Need Special Attention

Plants grown in containers tend to dry out more quickly than garden plants, so paying careful attention to watering is vital. Mulching the roots will also help keep them fresh.

Also, if possible, move the container to a shady or semi-shaded area. If you don't have this option, consider providing a shade with shade cloth or similar.

We hope you enjoy this video about Plant Care During Heatwaves:

Source: Epic Gardening

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