Help Your Plants Beat the Heat: Tips on Planting, Watering, and Rescuing When Needed
Keeping Container Gardens from Wilting
This past week has brought record-breaking temperatures to the Northeast. How do you keep your container gardens from wilting away? Soil in containers dries out faster than in the garden bed. If you plant in clay or unglazed terracotta pots, those retain heat and dry out very fast. Topdressing your pots with a generous 2-inch layer of mulch will help keep the soil cooler as well as keep more moisture in the soil from evaporating. An added benefit is that the mulch will also keep weeds from sprouting amongst your beautiful blooms.
Watering Strategies for Healthier Plants
To prevent pots from drying out, make sure you water thoroughly and get moisture all the way to the plant roots. If you have really large containers that are hard to keep moist, try this tip: put a perforated tube in the middle, all the way down to the pot bottom. Water from the tube will seep through the holes and give your container a great drench. Generally you should water your plants early in the morning. It gives plants a nice reservoir to draw from as the day heats up, and gives leaves the opportunity to dry quickly and avoid fungus problems. This advice also applies to lawns, which should never “go to bed with a wet blanket on” as they would do if watered in the evening. If you can’t water often, do make sure that your occasional waterings are longer and deeper, so they get to those all-important plant roots. This is more beneficial to plants than watering often but lightly, which may not get those roots the hydration they need.
Rescuing Wilted Plants
If you’ve tried everything but still come home from work to be greeted by sad, drooping flowers, take heart. It happens to even the most diligent gardeners, especially when extremely high temperatures persist for days. Act fast by removing any dead or damaged parts of the plant. Soak the container and plant in a bucket or tub of water to rehydrate for an hour or more. Then put the plant in a shaded spot and cross your fingers. If you got to it in time, you will see the plant recovering and its leaves rehydrating.
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