If you have a garden, then these tips will help it survive through summer.
Posted on Sunday 24th June 2018
For any avid gardener, the Australian summer is a tough fight for plants to survive. The unpredictable weather, including the intense heat and torrential rain, makes it hard to guarantee that your plants thrive.
Across Australia, the conditions are completely different, requiring a variety of techniques. The north is drenched with rain – if not cyclonic, the outback facing drought, and the dry heat down south creates the optimal season for bushfires.
After working and supplying to areas across South-East Queensland for years, we have a wealth of knowledge on what works for gardens. We have collated a guide to staying on top of your garden during the warm months, with little stress.
What are you planting?
Ideally, you will have done most of your planting of herbs or veggies before summer. The aim should be keeping them alive over the season.
However, if you are starting from scratch, then we still have you covered.
For herbs, stick with the basics such as basil, chives, mint, parsley, fennel, or even lemongrass. As for veggies, capsicums are your classic summer plant, also including eggplant, lettuce, potatoes, corn, tomato or sweet potato.
You need to keep a close eye on new plantings, protecting them from not just the elements but animals, too. Make sure they receive plenty of sun, but try to shade them to limit the intensity. This can be done simply through shade cloth, netting, or even below the shadow of larger plants.
Doing the right type of watering
Watering tends to be the question most people come back to. With it being so hot and sunlight so harsh, you can often find yourself desperate to water the plants.
They look so dry! Surely they must need more water?
Watering is one of the greatest problems for gardeners.
Be careful not to catch yourself overwatering your plants because this is frequently the cause of plants death, compared to underwatering.
A good way to restrain oneself is setting time limits to watering. We recommend watering your plants before 10 am in the morning and only after 4 pm in the afternoon.
Only watering at certain times also reaps other benefits, particularly by protecting them from fungi. A report by the ABC provides that by watering in the cooler weather limits the change of foliar fungi growing on plants. Mildew is a different mold that targets plants if they haven’t had time to dry before sunset.
At Farmcraft we have a wide range of fungicides if you are looking at treating a recent attack of fungus on your plants.
Are your pots heating up?
While you may be watering plants to cool them down, many people neglect to keep the pot cool. In many cases, this is what overheats the plant, rather than the temperature.
Potted plants are more likely to suffer from this in terracotta pots, so a good way to reduce the impact is placing a light mulch over the top. The mulch ensures the retention of the water, meaning that you don’t have to worry about your plants getting dry. We stock a group of mulches that are perfect for your garden, not only for summer but in other months for weed control.
In the saucers of plants, fill the bottom with sand. Sand actively conserves any moisture in the roots of the plants but doesn’t leave it damp for mosquitoes to breed.
Cutting back won’t do any harm
We recommend to get your pruners out over summer and cut back your plants to a healthy growing point. Most people know that pruning your plants, even parts that look perfectly fine, promote the growth of the plant.
Doing some pruning here and there will work wonders.
What is often forgotten is that pruning your plants and surrounding trees can also keep you safe. For trees that are growing over the top of your roof or near power lines, it is highly suggested to cut back any branches that could cause you risk.
The taller the tree is, such as those near power lines, is not a job for the average person to do. Employ a professional arborist to prune them back, preventing any harm occurring to you.
If you want to protect your plants from major storm activity, then take basic steps such as moving them undercover. For vining plants or flowers, then tying them to stakes will be an excellent effort against major wealth events.
These are just the beginning of tips for gardening during summer – promising the weather won’t get the better of it. If you want to know more, then please pop in-store at Kalbar, Boonah, Lowood, or Brisbane today
