Farmers find everything running smoothly until the heatwave sets in. During the scorching high temperatures during the summers, plants tend to lose water hence be at risk of wilting.
The transplanting work is particularly at risk since the struggling plants have hardly developed roots into the soil. This is why even the most well-established farmers sometimes worry when the summer sets in.
Fortunately, there are practical ways to exploit and have an easy time during such a high-temperature season. An easy way is to think about ways to minimize the water lost from the soil and plants through evaporation and transpiration, respectively.
The other thing is adjusting the watering times and looking for the most convenient schedule for doing it. Here's a breakdown of the things which you could consider.
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Mulching
Among the many things, you could do, consider applying a layer of mulch. The best point to place the mulch is the areas around the plant as you want to curb the exposure of the soil to the sun.
For better results, it is suitable to make the layer think enough to block the heat efficiently. Another aspect is finding reflective mulch and good examples are dry grass clippings.
The mulch acts as your first line of defense in dealing with the high temperatures in your garden. Reducing the evaporation rate means that your plants will have available water for relatively long hours.
It finally translates to a reduction in watering needs.
However, there is diversity in the materials which you could use as mulch. It is elemental to have your freshly cut grass dry first in the sun before using them as mulch.
This is because you will be accurate in ensuring the layer is of the correct size.
But also keep in mind that if you’re not sure about which size or mulch you should go with, there are mulching companies that will not only work with you to help you determine the best mulch based on the needs of your lawn but also deliver mulch to your home.
Early Watering
It is a crucial thing to plan for the watering of the plants during a heatwave. Generally, the earlier you do it in the morning, the better. This is because the plants get ample time to take in the water before the temperatures rise.
If you have a sprinkler, you may find the winds carrying away some significant amount of water and bringing more evaporation.
This means that developing the culture of watering the crops in the morning reduces the water usage rate for the garden.
In most cases, you may find yourself doing the watering once a day. You may need to do more watering in the day for the nursery beds since the roots have not yet developed well to maximally absorb the water.
Experts say that overhead irrigation may not be the best during the summers, but instead, garden owners should go for drip irrigation methods.
Thus, if you can, get yourself some soaker hoses as they promote water conservation. Besides, you can fit them underneath the mulch.
Research Online
In the modern world, any information you need is available online. The only thing you ought to do is look for reliable websites depending on the content you need. You could be interested in frugal gardening (check out more here) for instance.
In this case, the internet sites will give you enough exposure to be successful in the gardening style.
Gardening enthusiasts run some sites with extended exposure to frugal farming. This means they make you understand both the basics and the technical aspects of the farming style.
Gardening frugally is crucial during the heatwave as it usually promotes control of water. The use of enclosures for the plants minimizes water loss.
At the same time, it tends to enhance soil cover, reducing the evaporation rate from the soil.
Keep Taller Lawns
Every opportunity you get to increase the shading on the garden, grab it. One significant way is through having tall lawns. This is something many may find unusual as they always cut them short.
Besides, the more inches you leave, the higher the cutting frequency. There is a need to understand the reason behind having longer lawns, and this will be an encouragement to keep taller lawns.
For you to get the shade benefits, it is advisable to keep your lawn three inches tall. Other people go with six inches as this means a lot during the hot summers.
As a lawn owner, the matters of the plants will be close to your heart always. This triggers the need to provide nutrients to them through fertilizers. It is elemental to refrain from doing such since the plants will hardly benefit.
Research shows that the rate at which plants absorb water is lower during the scorching sun. Sometimes, there can be some burning effects at the roots, which can kill the plant.
Therefore, consider waiting till the summer comes to the sunset, then apply the fertilizers.
Use Shade Cloth
These shade cloths, also called protective row covers, reduce the crops' exposure to the sun. It, therefore, implies that it minimizes the rate of transpiration at the plants.
These garden supplies come in different sizes and configurations. It also means that the shade factor also varies from one type of shade cloth to another.
This helps garden owners find the structures that provide the optimal light exposure depending on the plants they have.
The degree of blocked sunlight (shade factor) comes within 25% to 90%. You may go for the shade cloth with a shade factor of 30% for the heat-tolerant plants.
However, if you have succulent crops to vegetative greens, go for the range between 50% to 60%.
Also, ensure that there are significant support structures for the cloth such that there will be no damages to the crops whenever they fall off. Being temporally and flexible, the protective row covers allows you to position them at the right points.
Summer heatwaves can be punishing to the gardens. This means proper measures need to be available for the crops to remain healthy despite the scorching sun. There are options to consider in making this happen.
These include mulching, morning watering, gardening frugally, keeping taller lawns, and installing protecting row covers to bring in the shade factor.
Know the type of crops you have in terms of the optimal level of light they need. From here, you can find a suitable shade of cloth.