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 Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 12:57 pm
So, Summers in Texas are awful for plants. It's 105 degrees in the shade right now, and if you water during the day it kills the plants because the heat causes the water to steam up and cook them. I know a good few people here are from Texas, so have you found any ways to beat the heat? Please share! sweatdrop
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 3:30 pm
I'm not from texas, but our summers in MA can sometimes get a little obnoxious too.
I typically water after dusk, when the earth has (presumably) cooled enough as to avoid emulating a steamer. That way, your plants have the eight-hour respite to refresh themselves without being stressed by light and heat.
You could also try the underground watering technique - you bury a plastic container that has several pinholes round the sides and bottom, and fill it once daily or whenever necessary. You don't want too many holes, else the water streams right out - the idea is to get the balance where water's provided over a long period of time without flooding or drying out the plant. Burying the pot also protects it from the heat of the day. If you try this, make sure you bury it deep enough so it'll always stay cool, or the steamer effect will be worse. This will also prompt your plants to grow longer, more complex root systems, further helping them survive in the heat.
You could rig up a cotton tent-like structure for those plants that don't like so much sun. I've found this useful if, for whatever reason, I plant something new and it needs adjusting to the climate.
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 9:36 pm
Watering in the morning (early morning) is best since it allows the plants to dry before the heat of the day (causes the steam-cooking) and before the "cool" of night (encourages fungal growth.) Watering plants for longer lengths of time less frequently (ie- twice a week for 15 min. vs. three times a week for 10 min.) will encourage plants to establish stronger deeper roots.
Tender potted plants can be moved to cooler/ shadier areas. Plants in the ground can be shaded by either moving larger pot plants nearby to provide shade, or by creating shade artificially (umbrellas, or make a lean-to with sheets or trash bags, etc.)
Avoid high phosphorous fertilizers in the summer, instead use nutrients like liquid iron, and vitamin supplements such as Superthrive. Stressed-out plants have trouble absorbing these vitamins and nutrients, so supplementing them helps, whereas using a strong fertilizer to promote plant growth only further stresses the plant.
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 9:39 pm
Silberseele I'm not from texas, but our summers in MA can sometimes get a little obnoxious too. I typically water after dusk, when the earth has (presumably) cooled enough as to avoid emulating a steamer. That way, your plants have the eight-hour respite to refresh themselves without being stressed by light and heat. You could also try the underground watering technique - you bury a plastic container that has several pinholes round the sides and bottom, and fill it once daily or whenever necessary. You don't want too many holes, else the water streams right out - the idea is to get the balance where water's provided over a long period of time without flooding or drying out the plant. Burying the pot also protects it from the heat of the day. If you try this, make sure you bury it deep enough so it'll always stay cool, or the steamer effect will be worse. This will also prompt your plants to grow longer, more complex root systems, further helping them survive in the heat. You could rig up a cotton tent-like structure for those plants that don't like so much sun. I've found this useful if, for whatever reason, I plant something new and it needs adjusting to the climate. You can use Olla's which are clay vessels buried in the same manner as your plastic containers. The water seeps out as needed through the container (which is porous) I try my best to water in the morning before the sun gets too high. That way, the water has a chance to soak into the ground without evaporating from the heat. I've heard that watering at night isn't a good idea because there's nothing to for the excess water to do other than hang around and plants that are prone to it can easily disease with various wilts and rots. Mulching is also extremely useful to help maintain the soil temperature and retain moisture.
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Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 8:46 am
Mulching is the only thing that saves us here! Watering very early and deeply, shading where possible, yep---essential. Without the mulch, though, it's all wasted effort, at least here. (Seen the heat warnings here? Yeah.)
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Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 12:46 pm
I've been tempted to try mulching, but I was afraid that it would just hold in the extra heat. However, ther is a groundcoer of pine needles around my eggplants and that seems to be helping, so I'll try to mulch the rest of my plants whee August is the worst time of year here sweatdrop
Any suggestions on what materials to use as mulch?
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Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 2:21 pm
If pine needles are plentiful, they are working for you, get those! This late in the year I would use straw here, although I don't usually use it---it's great mulch, but often grows wheat in this area! Shredded newspaper is a great mulch, composts right in the garden. The one thing I would not use ever again, at least here, is wood chips---used some in a flowerbed, and the ants went crazy, making it almost impossible to work in that bed until I got rid of the wood chips.
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 10:14 am
sunsetsmile If pine needles are plentiful, they are working for you, get those! This late in the year I would use straw here, although I don't usually use it---it's great mulch, but often grows wheat in this area! Shredded newspaper is a great mulch, composts right in the garden. The one thing I would not use ever again, at least here, is wood chips---used some in a flowerbed, and the ants went crazy, making it almost impossible to work in that bed until I got rid of the wood chips. Im going to take your advice x3 I dont have plants in the ground, but i have them outlining my back deck.. And my marigolds are dying..a slow slow death...
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 10:41 am
Poor marigolds, they must be terribly hot, they are such tough plants!
If they are in pots, what kind of pots are they in? Dark plastic pots will cook anything.
Double-potting is a good way to keep things in pots looking good in the heat. You put the plant in a clay pot, then place the clay pot in a larger pot, with peat moss, pine needles, anything that will insulate, between the pots. Lighter color pots are better, of course, and it's still best if the outside pot has good drainage holes.
Good luck! Don't give up!
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 11:08 am
I gathered up pine needles and coverd the ground around my watermelons, eggplants, and my mom's banana tree xd I plan to do the zucchinis today ^^ My mom laughed at me because I looked silly hunched over raking up bundles of pine needles out of our front yard with my bare hands xd I just feel bad that the poor pine tree is dying; that's where all the pine needles came from.
eek Maybe that's why my marigold died.. The only recycled plastic pot that I could find was dark green... That, and I didn't water it for a few days while I was in the hospital with my mom stressed
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 12:32 pm
That pine tree may be okay, too, don't give up on it just yet. Trees will drop their needles or leaves when it's hot and dry to conserve water. Just be sure it's not bone-dry out there, and wait it out. It may just be waiting out the heat.
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 1:13 pm
I hope it'll be okay; it's the only tree around here that's dropping its leaves, about P of the needles on the tree are brown. But it's lived through hotter Summers than this, so I figure it'll be fine xd All the baby trees that we have randomly sprouting are still kickin', so I'm sure an old pine will do alright.I'm excited, the weather people say it should rain here in a few days whee It's been almost a month since it rained at all sweatdrop
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 1:14 pm
Oh! I just remembered something! Well, two somethings---
First, if you have hanging pots, you can put ice cubes in to water them. As long as they don't touch the stems of the plants, they will melt slowly and won't drip, or get you soaking wet when you water.
Second, my grandfather (PaPa) that lived in Texarkana was a great gardener, and he loved his roses! He would sink a clay drain pipe (several, actually, end-to-end like a hose) from the surface of the ground down to the rootball of his roses, about 18" -24". Then when it was hot, he just directly watered them through the pipe. He had a "Tropicana" variety rose that was as tall as his single-story house! The one I planted here in my memory garden, for him, never got over 4' tall.
Something to think about for later--fall or spring?
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 5:01 pm
Yeah summers in Texas suck, I lost three out of four rose bushes and my ivy even some of my cacti got sunburned . it's about 108 outside right now. //_- However I see some stormy clouds off in the distance so I'm hoping for rain.
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 5:04 pm
Artistic Mystic I gathered up pine needles and coverd the ground around my watermelons, eggplants, and my mom's banana tree xd I plan to do the zucchinis today ^^ My mom laughed at me because I looked silly hunched over raking up bundles of pine needles out of our front yard with my bare hands xd I just feel bad that the poor pine tree is dying; that's where all the pine needles came from.
eek Maybe that's why my marigold died.. The only recycled plastic pot that I could find was dark green... That, and I didn't water it for a few days while I was in the hospital with my mom stressed I would water the tree for about an hour, it save my 15 year old pine tree in my front yard from dieing .
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