When and how to water the plants in summer?

Metal watering can watering an orange tree

Metal watering can watering an orange tree

During the hottest months of the year, watering is one of the most important tasks that every gardener or gardener must do in order for their plants to continue their normal growth and development. The lack of water in summer is one of the problems that must be avoided at all costs, since the sun is so intense that it can dry out the roots very quickly.

However, you also have to avoid excesses, so in this special we are going to explain when and how to water the plants in summer so that they look healthy and pretty.

When do you have to water in summer?

Gardener watering with hose

Gardener watering with hose

If you have just started the world of gardening, one of the first questions you may have is precisely that: what is the best time to water? at morning or evening? Well then. During the summer it is recommended to water either in the early morning or in the afternoon when it starts to get dark. When is it better?

Well, I personally recommend watering at dusk. Although it is in the morning when the osmotic pressure is produced that causes the water to circulate throughout the aerial part (trunk, branches, leaves, flowers), during the summer season the solar rays fall much more directly, which causes that much of the water it has received at dawn is quickly lost to evaporation.

If it is watered at dusk, substrate or soil has much more time to absorb waterand not only that, but it can also be kept moist for longer.

How do you have to water?

Hose

Hose

Make sure you soak the soil well

Regardless of the irrigation system you use, it is very, very important that the soil is well soaked. Whether it is a cactus, a flower, a tree, or any other type of plant, it must have the root bread (also called root ball) moist to be able to cope with the high temperatures.

If the ground is very hard, you can do the following:

  • Flower pot: put the pot in a container with water, and leave it there for as long as necessary until you see that the water has reached the surface.
  • Land: if the earth is very hard, something that happens very frequently to clay soils during this season, you have to take, for example, an iron rod or a strong plastic tutor and then insert it and remove it. By doing this you will be able to aerate the earth.
    If the technique of the rod or the tutor does not convince you much, do it with a hoe, scratching only the surface and at a distance of about ten to fifty centimeters (depending on the size of the plant: the smaller, the shorter the distance can be) of the trunk or main stem. Then add at least two buckets of water to thoroughly moisten the soil around the plant.

Consider putting a plate under the most delicate plants

If you have carnivorous plants, flowers, or even seedlings it can be very practical to put a plate or tray under themsince during the summer their water needs – for water – skyrocket. Likewise, you can also put one on the other plants to avoid losing water. This is a vital liquid that you can pour into the bottles and then use it again for watering.

Beware of excesses

It is easier to recover a plant that has suffered from a lack of water than an excess. Whenever doubts arise, you have to check the humidity of the soil or substrate before watering, and for this you can do several things:

  • Plants that are in soil: you can dig a little in the dirt. If at about five-ten centimeters you see it dry, you have to water.
  • Potted plants:
    • Introduce a thin wooden stick: if when you take it out it comes out with a lot of adhering soil, then you do not have to water since it will be wet.
    • Use a digital moisture meter: when you enter it, it will instantly tell us what degree of moisture the earth has. Of course, to make it more useful, I advise inserting it in other parts of the pot (closer to the edge, closer to the trunk).
    • Weigh the pot once it has been watered and again after a few days: this difference in weight will serve as a guide to know when to water.

Do not wet the leaves or flowers

Watering the flowers with a hoseWatering the flowers with a hose

This is an inappropriate form of watering, especially in summer as the plants could easily burn.

When watering, you never have to wet leaves, stems or flowers, especially in summer. If it were done, the magnifying glass effect would be produced, that is, the sun’s rays when coming into contact with water they would burn the plant. You have to irrigate by pouring the water next to the stem or trunk; so it won’t burn.

If they are very bushy plants, you can put a plate on them and water from below.

What water to use?

The best water to irrigate is rain. It is the only one that can be used to water all plants, regardless of their type. But of course, not all parts of the world have access to it; What to do in these cases? It will depend on the type of plant and water you have.

For example, acidophilic plants or Orchids they like acidified water (it is obtained by diluting the liquid of half a lemon in a liter of water); wings of mediterranean origin (olive, wild olive tree, almond, etc.) must be watered with a water whose pH is neutral (7), while the rest must be watered with water without lime or drinkable.

Water the plants in summer

Water the plants in summer

During the summer, water is much more important if possible. Do not neglect the risks .

When and how to water the plants in summer?

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