5 real options for protecting plants from heat

How to save the garden before the heat

In general, of course, it is better not to save the garden, but to prepare for the heat in advance. As a rule, in the spring, weather forecasters make a long-term forecast for the summer. And if you assume that the summer will be sultry, it is better to reinsure yourself and sow heat-resistant vegetables. There are many of them, so you can choose according to your taste.

To save the vegetable garden before the heat, it is even better to take hay (you can dry fresh grass – dry it yourself in the garden for a few days). Hay is good, among other things, also because its decomposition actively reproduces anaerobic (3) sex bacteria – healing skirt, which creates a natural antibiotic subtillin, and it suppresses the growth of pathogenic fungi such as phytophyrs, growth of pathogenic fungi such as phytophyrs and pathogens of powdery mildew and false mold.

Sound treatment

This method is actively used in southern countries with very hot climates, but is also perfectly suitable for the middle belt in humid summers.

Its essence is as follows. A suspension is prepared from white tone (kaolin): 0.5 tone per 5 liters of water. Added 1 cup of brewed grounds in liquid form (1 tablespoon per 200 ml of water) – it helps not to beat the grounds and better adhere to the leaves. Everything is mixed well and sprayed vegetables with this suspension. But not completely, but only on the south side. And also the soil, if it is not mulched.

The white sound forms a light coating on the leaves, which the sun’s rays reflect well and can not overheat the plants. Studies have shown that the temperature of leaves treated with kaolin is 5 – 6 ° C lower than 5 – 6 ° C.

And evaporation of moisture from soil treated with suspension is reduced by 20-30%.

Shading beds.

This method is suitable for tomatoes and cucumbers, which are tied to bars or wire (rope) stretched between poles on the edges. Dry thin branches of trees, reeds and sunflowers or last year’s corn can easily be strung on these wires so that they form a light shade. And even in the light shade, the temperature drops more and more in the heat.

Another option to save the vegetable garden before the heat is to cover the plants with non-weighty material, so we save seedlings in the beds from frost in May. Over tomatoes and cucumbers, you can put this material directly on a wire or rope and secure it with clothespins so it won’t get carried away by the wind. Arches can be placed over low vegetables and covered. The light leaves the material, which is not high-class, but it is always cooler in the midst of it than in the open sun. And if it is pressed around the perimeter to the floor, such as bricks, it also becomes a great protection against pests: caterpillars and cruciferous flea.

Ventilate the greenhouse.

During hot weather, the temperature in greenhouses rises very sharply. The easiest way to lower the temperature is to ventilate your greenhouses. Open all doors and windows for at least one day, and on very hot days it’s better to open them overnight.

Popular Questions and Answers

We talked to agronomist-selector Svetlana Mikhailova about the protection of plants from the heat.

Can I water my garden in the evening?

Undesirable. The fact is that nights are often cool, and high soil humidity combined with low temperatures can lead to disease outbreaks. Therefore, I advise to flood the plants in the evening – during the day the floor has time to dry out.

How can I tell if a plant is not getting enough moisture?

You can tell by the leaves and the foliage when they have lost their turgor or when they have just started to wilt that they don’t have enough moisture – so water them straight away.

Can I water my plants with water from a water tap or fountain?

This is not a good solution because the water is cold. And if you water your garden in the heat, the plants will sprout because of the sudden change in temperature. You could drop leaves, flowers, and ovaries, get sick, or even die completely. Sprinkle them with warm water.

How to protect plants from the heat of modest summers

The unusually hot summer months, even in temperate regions, have made preserving crops in the outdoors and greenhouses a big problem. It has also caused a decrease in the yield of plants, especially those that are sensitive to undesirable conditions and cannot tolerate drought.

The effects of hot weather on plants

High temperatures, lack of good watering, and the protection methods we’ll talk about below mean that plants lodge and become vulnerable to various diseases. The fruits themselves, the small and ornamental plants that traditionally decorate our gardens and farms, lose their attractive appearance and also become diseased. Weak plants are immediately attacked by an army of pests.

In particular, you should be alert to the fact that the thermometer column beyond the mark of plus 30 degrees goes beyond the point.

How do you protect your crops, ornamental flowers and shrubs from the heat?

Protecting plants before the heat in the outdoors

It is best to take protective measures when planting a garden and vegetable garden and place seedlings so that at the height of the heat the trees are covered with soil, slightly shading the garden beds.

At the same time, it is necessary to plant vegetables not under the crown, but at a distance at which the tree casts shade. This is done for the reason that the roots of fruit trees themselves draw moisture and nutrients from the soil and dry it out.

But if time is lost, the easiest and cheapest way is to create artificial shade. This can be done in two ways:

1. Properly plant the plants in the beds and replace them with low-growing varieties.
2. Use a covering material, such as agrovolok or improvised means.

The first method was used by our ancestors, when zucchinis or pumpkins were planted under the stockade. Younge was installed on the south side and in the heat of the day it would cast shade on the fruits and leaves.

Tall plants planted in rows on the site, with stunted vegetables in between, could also take on the function of the pumpkin.

You can plant grapes that give light shade. It is placed in rows from east to west. Each vegetable is planted at intervals, but so that the approach to the vine is respected.

1. Another quick way to protect vegetable systems from heat is to plant corn or tall beans in the same east-west rows. Cucumbers will grow nicely next to the corn, and its tall stems will be used as a trellis.
2. Simple leaves, which are attached to the tall feathers like banners, also help protect the plants from the intense heat. However, this method is not very reliable in high winds. It is better to tie bundles of straw or reeds in a field that are in a square net on the property. You will create a little shade.
3. Weeding near tomatoes and peppers is not recommended in extreme heat. The only thing to do is to snip off the inflorescences of “savages”, so that they do not drop seeds on the ground.
4. Protect cauliflower from sunburn is very simple. To do this, tie their leaves over your head.

WHITE CLAY FOR BURNS – EXOTIC OR MIRACLE

There is another reliable and proven way to protect plants from the heat in the open ground with white clay – kaolin. It came to us from Central Asia, where in such a way watermelons and melons were saved from the heat. The fact is that the treatment of plants with kaolin helps to reduce the temperature of the soil and fruits by 5-6 degrees.

The solution is prepared as follows. For 5 liters of water, take 0.5 kilograms of white clay, stir it well and leave it for 12 hours. Then you need to brew starch: St. spoons per liter of water and pour it into the solution. Experts also recommend adding two drops of iodine.

With this composition, spray all the plants on the south side and the soil under them. Usually, if there are no heavy rains, the clay “mask” holds up to 15 days. Then, if the heat does not abate, you can treat the plants again. This method is considered environmentally friendly and good for the plants, as kaolin improves the soil composition and promotes good crops.

PROTECTING FROM THE HEAT WITH AGROFIBRE

Do not forget that there is a special agrofiber (spunbond) on sale, which is an ideal shade for vegetable crops. It has two advantages:

To organize the protection of vegetables with agrovolokon, over the beds set the arches and cover them with a protective mesh. This is desirable to do in periods of high heat. At night, the grid can be removed.

If it is not possible to buy agrofiber, use old curtains.

IRRIGATION, MULCH, AND FERTILIZER AS A WAY TO SAVE CROPS FROM HEAT

In order for vegetables, melons and berries to weather the heat properly, they need proper watering and timely fertilization of the soil.

Special features of watering in hot weather

1. Watering should be done in the early morning or evening hours. Watering during the daytime is strictly forbidden, as every drop of water immediately turns into a lens and attracts rays. Leaves and fruits are guaranteed not only burns, but also fungal diseases, which provokes the evaporation of moisture.
2. On hot days, it is better to water less frequently, but more deeply, soaking the roots to the tips. Tomatoes, peppers, carrots and beets are enough to water once a week. Cabbage and cucumbers require a lot of water, so the procedure should be carried out a couple of times a week.
3. Watermelons during the ripening period should not be watered at all, since their roots go deep into the ground.
4. Usually by this time strawberries are already fruiting, but late varieties can please you with berries and in the heat. Don’t forget to water them.
5. A drip irrigation system is ideal. That way, the water doesn’t get on the plants, but constantly moistens the soil. It is also recommended to turn on the system in the morning or evening.
6. An alternative to drip irrigation can be an old hose with water holes. Like a drip system, it can also moisten the soil, thereby lowering the temperature of the plant and protecting it from burns.

Mulching

In addition to competent watering, lowering the temperature and protecting vegetables, melons, berries, etc. Floor mulching. First, you need to spread small pebbles around the bushes, and then cover it with a layer of humus, peat or straw. Mulch prevents the evaporation of moisture, and the droplets will run off and the roots will be moistened along the pebbles. But if it is not suitable, then after watering the soil can be mulched with a layer of dry soil or a wooden canvas.

Feeding Systems

An important role in strengthening the immunity of plants is fertilization with useful fertilizers. In summer, preference should be given to potassium-phosphorus – fertilizers, boric and iodine. Of particular importance in protecting plants from drought are salts. It is necessary to take 5 grams of zinc sulfate and dilute it in 10 liters of water.

Fertilization is carried out on the leaf. In the same solution, you can soak the seeds before planting plants to strengthen immunity and protection from the future summer heat. Plants will endure it more firmly.

Heat protection in greenhouses and greenhouses

In order to protect vegetables from the summer heat in an indoor environment, it is necessary to follow several important rules. The most important of these are hydration and irradiation.

Since greenhouses mostly consist of glass or covered with film, so that the leaves and fruits in the stuffy space do not “boil”, the problem of ventilation arises only then. The greenhouse must be well ventilated during daylight.

Doors, windows should be open so that air flows into the room, where the temperature should not exceed 25 degrees. This is why a control thermometer is installed in each greenhouse.

If the weather is quiet, a fan helps. It should be installed at the entrance to the greenhouse, so that ventilation takes place at the top of the room, otherwise the air rivers will dry out the soil. In very dry and humid weather, you can hang a wet sheet, which also helps to lower the temperature.

Expert Tip: For plants to feel better indoors, greenhouses should be up to 1.8 meters tall. However, if you have a low greenhouse, it can be completely open during the day and the foil can be replaced with an agronomic sheet if possible.

The soil in greenhouses should also be masked with straw or mulch, as it dries out quickly in hot weather.

As on the floor of the open ground, vegetables need to be fertilized with fertilizers according to the usual scheme, and be sure to prevent fungal diseases such as late rot, nightshade, mold.

It is very useful to treat vegetables in the greenhouse with zinc salts to protect against heat. True, here you need to take a smaller concentration than in the open ground – 2.5 grams per 10 liters of water and spray them along the leaf outside and inside.

If you live in southern regions, pay attention to the properties of the variety of vegetables and fruits. You must be drought tolerant.

How to protect ornamental plants in dry and hot weather

Flowers, ornamental shrubs also suffer from heat, as do vegetables, berry bushes and other useful plants. Its leaves quickly wilt from the heat, flowers wither and cease to inspire their charm.

If you live in a dry area and don’t have time to care for ornamental beauties, your best bet is to plant plants in the garden or yard that are not afraid of drought.

1. Among the perennials are echinacea, gaillaria, blue hebeef, cleanser, yarrow, yucca, lavender.
2. Zinnia, gazzaniums, escholtzia, portulacas, marigolds are considered the most hardy perennials.

They can form beautiful flower beds, almost without flooding themselves. All these flowers are very hardy and can extract water from the depths.

But you do not always want to limit your choice and give up ornamental shrubs and flowers that like water or at least are watered constantly.

For example, it is almost impossible to breed beauty goritsvet without abundant constant watering. Even in the not very hot summer months, two buckets of water should be poured under each bush every week. And when the summer is dry, the norms are doubled.

1. If you have a Hydrangea or other ornamental marvel growing in a flower button or pot, you need to move it to warmth. When the shrub is planted on the floor, you need to consider how much it likes sun, or if it is better to place it in partial shade.
2. Water each ornamental vegetable according to the schedule, and the soil should be reliably mulched with a layer of 5-6 centimeters of straw, humus or peat.
3. If the bush is combined in composition and in its natural features with stunted flowers, they can be planted around it to create a colorful picture and less water evaporation.
4. Evening sprinklers can be arranged in beds of moistening flowers and shrubs. Spraying plants cools the floor and is great for keeping plants hydrated.
5. An important role in the protection of ornamental shrubs and flowers is played by fertilizers, which should be applied to the soil on a schedule. It is also a good idea to carry out foliar fertilization with zinc salts in the concentration specified above.

Flowerbeds and foliage, if not mulched, should be such that no crust is formed, disrupting the breathing of plants.