28 Nov Summer Gardening Tips: Summer Garden Survival!
Summer is a time we can all love our garden a little more. The beautiful summer evenings are best spent in the backyard with our family and friends. But, if we don’t look after our garden we may be too embarrassed to use our backyards for their full potential.
Summer Gardening Tips
1. Keep your plants hydrated
Watering your garden in the Australian summer is always an issue, so minimize not only the water you use, but the time it takes to do it. It is best to water in the mornings, before the heat of the day kicks in. This gives your plants the best chance of surviving the extreme heats. If you can’t do the am shift, do it in the cooler afternoon, once the sun has moved off the garden. Always water less often, but for longer. A little drink every day is nowhere near as beneficial as a long water very couple of days. Trying to encourage the water, and then the plant roots deeper into the soil.
2. Place pot plants in moist sand
Pot plants are different to garden beds; they dry out quickly. Leaving plants in little pools or saucers to keep the pots cool is a good idea if you’re are going away. However, this can attract more mosquitoes, so we recommend using wet sand to keep the moisture in. Placing the pot in a bed of moist sand will both keep the plant cool and minimize the mosquitoes!
3. Keep feeding your plants
The more water we give the plants in the summer, the more we wash away the nutrients they need to grow and stay healthy. It is important to keep regular feeding habits up, especially for pot plants.
4. Move pot plants out of the sun
Plan ahead for really hot days and move pot plants out of the direct sunlight. Even if it’s just for the day, it can make a huge difference. This will save you from having to try and ‘rescue’ any heat damaged plants later on. For plants you can’t move out of the sun, consider covering them with a shade cloth. A little preparation could save your garden from a disaster!
5. Water your lawns
Watering your lawn follows the same principles as watering your plants: Water for longer, but less often.
6. Don’t mow your lawns too short
Leave the lawn a little longer in length, particularly if you have a winter variety. The longer, green and lusher you can make it, the more it will survive the heat. We still recommend mowing your lawn regularly, but just adjust to only take a little off the top. This will prevent lawn shock and dying off.
7. Mulch your garden beds
Make sure all your garden beds are well mulched. The mulch will help retain the water and keep the garden bed cool. A general rule of the thumb is no more than 5 – 10 cm in depth.
8. Plan ahead!
Lastly, plan ahead for your family function! Get the hard work done early and it will be easy to maintain throughout the summer. Then, wait for the compliments to come flooding in!
We hope you enjoyed these summer gardening tips! We know how harsh the Australian sun can be and how much you all love to spend time outside on a warm summer night, so hopefully these tips help you enjoy your outdoor space all that much more.