How to Care for Your Plants During a Hot Summer

Are you looking for tips on caring for your plants during the upcoming summer weather?

As the temperatures rise, it is time to get your plants ready to take on the summer heat. There are many sun-loving plants that are quite admirably adapted to the elevated temperatures and low water levels, such as succulent and cacti. However, if these plants are used to being inside, they will not be able to manage the elevated temperatures of being outside. Leafy tropical plants are very prone to heat damage and may not recover from the heat.

Although your first reaction to elevated summer temperatures is to panic and run for the water hose, slow down as it might not be the best thing for your plants. Stay tuned to learn more on how to keep your plants healthy during the summer heat.

Signs of Heat Stress in Plants

Most of the stress for plants are either from too much heat or too little water. Therefore, you want to learn to recognize the signs of heat stress, which include the following:

Thinking ahead of time can help you catch stress problems before they arise on your plants. Following are more signs of heat stress and how you can combat them:

Leaf Drop: Many times, plants and flowers drop flowers when they are heat stressed. When this happens, be sure to check the water situation. Water the plants if needed and wait for the heat to abate.
Stop flowering: There are a few plants that stop flowering during extreme heat such as peppers and tomatoes. They will simply lose their leaves, or they may not flower at all until the temperature comes down.
Bolting: Bolting occurs when a plant prematurely grows flower stalks and produces seeds, preventing the plant from bearing a robust harvest. This is also called "running to seed" or "going to seed”.
Blossom End Rot: During extreme heat, tomatoes, peppers, squash, and cucumbers may present black spots on their bottoms. This is usually caused by a calcium deficiency by inconsistent soil moisture. So, the best thing to do for this problem is to water deeply and mulch well.

But be careful not to overwater your plants. Some plants wilt regardless of the amount of water in the soil. Using too much water can lead to fungal diseases. Make sure you provide enough water to maintain the best soil moisture level. If you use mulch in your flower beds, make sure you have a 3-inch layer over the root zones, which insulates them from the heat.

How to Protect Plants from Heat Stress

Use a shade cloth, and bring portable plants into shade
Water in the mornings before hot days
Water deeply (but avoid overwatering)
Remember that potted plants dry out quicker
Measure soil dryness if possible
Sprinkle your plants sparingly
Do not use fertilizer
Avoid pruning/removing damaged foliage
Do not repot your plants during a heat wave
Promote high humidity and keep your plants cool

Water is a vital requirement of all a plant’s biology. Since they are mostly water, keeping the cells hydrated is crucial to maintaining the health and growth of plants. When you water deeply, you encourage the plant to grow sturdier, larger, live longer, and deliver greater yields.