Beat the Heat!- Summer Tips for Garden

The summer approaches and I know it will take a heavy toll on my garden. Read more to learn about this.

The harsh sun and the scarce water make gardening difficult during summers. Indian summers however abominable it may be for your garden, can be dealt with. I will give you a few summer tips for garden that have helped me beat the heat!

1. If you know you will be facing water severity use mulch. Add around 10cms or 4 inches of it around your plants.
2. Use drip irrigation to conserve water and at the same time ensuring that your plants don’t dry out completely ever.
3. It is better to water deep, with less frequency  when facing scarcity of water. Cool soil at deeper levels will encourage the roots to grow longer. Also add some minerals to water; this will help to eliminate any mineral deficiencies in plants. Add organic water soluble fertilizers like Panchagavya, Compost Tea etc in water before giving it to plants.
4. Water plants when it is cooler outside. Watering appropriately in the mornings will allow water to seep down much more than during the day, as lesser amount of it will be lost in evaporation.
5. If you are dealing with heat waves, work on giving the plants some shade. This can be done by having more tree cover or by covering large areas with old bedsheets, shade nets etc. But the flip side of this remedy is that prolonged periods of shade will make the plants dependent on it, and it would experience stress without it. So use it only when your plants really need it.
6. For newly planted plants, give them shade with some 50% shade material, such as a net fabric. This will make the plants a little sun hardy before they step into the world outside.
7. Keep plants of similar water needs together. This makes watering them a little easier, and hence some water can be saved this way.
8. Have hedges or fences around the garden. These help break the flow of air; which is causes extensive dryness in the soil. Having a hedge or a fence allows wind to move, as a 100% closed space will let no air will escape, and the garden will become a heat trap.
9. Potted plants especially ones in Plastic pots are prone to overheating. Add some mulch to it and keep them out of direct heat.
10. Always keep checking for leaks, in pipes and hoses. Make sure that all the nozzles in the sprinkles are free of any debris.
11. Work timings: always try to work before 10 am or after 4pm. This way the sun will not drain your energy away while you work. You also will do a better job in the garden. Always remember to wear a hat and apply ample sunscreen before stepping out in your garden. Come back and have a good nice cool drink.
12. Water wisely, when you know water is short, water the plants in accordance to their water needs. That is plants which can survive longer without water should be watered less in comparison to plants which require watering everyday.

Follow these basic tricks and I am sure you and your garden will pass summer without so much as a bead of sweat on your forehead!