Summertime survival strategies for your plants.

In the hottest months, we need smart strategies to help our gardens cope. Here are the top survival tips from Helen Young.

Lawn care

Adjust the height of mower blades to cut as high as possible; the roots won’t get as hot and dry so your lawn will stay greener. Apply a soil-wetting agent such as SaturAid, Wettasoil, Seasol Super Soil Wetter and Conditioner, or Yates Waterwise Granular Soil Saturator for Lawns to help water soak into the soil and stay there. During dry spells, water your lawn deeply and thoroughly every week or two to encourage deep roots and a more drought–tolerant lawn.

Pot plants

Pots dry out quickly, especially terracotta. Consider moving pots to a shadier spot during the hottest periods. Water in the mornings and on extreme days you may need to water in the afternoon as well. Cover pot plants with shadecloth and lower hanging baskets to the ground. Stand pots in saucers filled with wet, coarse sand. This supplies moisture without rotting roots or allowing mosquitoes to breed in still water. Apply a liquid soil-wetting agent to help pot plants last longer between waterings. Use Seasol fortnightly to strengthen plants to resist drought and heat stress.

The vegie patch

Harvest produce early in the morning. Watering in the morning also minimises fungal diseases (but wilting vegies should be watered any time). Keep beds well mulched with lucerne, pea straw or sugarcane mulch. Erect shadecloth over the vegie patch in hot, dry regions where summer sun burns tender vegies. Use soluble fertilisers fortnightly, just after watering.

Add some Seasol to the mix to strengthen plants.

Garden beds

Avoid planting, transplanting and heavy pruning in hot weather. If fertilising, use soluble forms or make sure the soil is watered well before and after applying granules or pellets. Keep soil covered with a 30-50mm layer of mulch. On heatwave days, plants in moist soil will suffer less damage. Check irrigation systems for leaks and blockages, and reprogram timers.

Going away?

Top outdoor pot plants with pebbles or mulch to help prevent water evaporating. Yates DroughtShield, sprayed on the leaves, adds a protective film that reduces water loss from leaves by up to 50 per cent. Place indoor plants on a wet towel in the bath or shower, but don’t leave them sitting in water.