The mercury has risen sharply in the Netherlands in the past week, bringing back summer temperatures. With this heat, it's important to take good care of your plants so that the heat doesn't prove fatal!
How to help your plants through the heat
Watering
- Water early in the morning or in the evening. This prevents the leaves from burning and your water from evaporating before your plant can take a sip.
- Do you experience a lot of drought in your garden? Plant groundcover between your plants. These help retain moisture in the soil and prevent weeds. You can also apply a layer of mulch to the soil after watering or after a rain shower to help prevent evaporation, such as wood chips.
- Preferably use a rain barrel to collect water for your garden. This is not only better for the environment, but also for your plants. It contains less lime and no chemicals. Especially plants like Azaleas and Rhododendrons are very happy with rainwater.
- Don't give a little water every evening, but rather more water at once. This way, the deep roots will get enough moisture and will not die off.
Gardening
- Do not plant new plants in your garden now. The chance of them surviving the move in combination with the heat and drought is very small.
- Keep a close eye on the plants you planted this spring. They need a lot of water during the heat. This also applies to plants in pots and containers.
- Remove spent blooms from your plants. This often leads to new buds.
- Pay close attention to diseases in your plants. These can spread quickly if you don't catch them in time. Always opt for environmentally friendly methods or biological pest control.
- Make sure your bird bath and other drinking bowls for animals remain filled.
- While gardening, also take good care of yourself. Don't stay in the sun too long, wear protective clothing, drink enough, and apply high-factor sunscreen. It's better to do intensive gardening tasks in the evening or morning.
