Steps to Prep your Indoor Plants For Summer
The cold winter days have settled. The long, bright sunny days of summer are here to stay. You all are prepped up to beat the heat with your breezy floral minis, sunscreen lotions, and refreshing cooler. What about your indoor plants?
Yes, just like you feel the scorching sun, they too get burned in the heat. With the temperatures soaring high, it is all-important that you prepare your indoor plants for summer.
Sun-loving plants like succulents are well-adapted to handle extreme weather conditions, but your tender green buddies like leafy tropical plants are more vulnerable to damage from the blazing sun.
If you still haven't prepared your plants for the summers, worry not! Here’s how to take care of plants in summer season to help them survive the heat wave. It’s not too late, you can still groom them up for the summer blues.
1. Water Well and Deeply
Just like you need hydration in summers, plants too like to remain moist and cool. As the summer heat increases, the need for watering plants also rises. It is the significant summer plant care that many of you tend to overlook. Water your indoor plants well and deeply, if you wish to see them happy and green. Water the plant slowly, so that the water seeps through the soil efficiently. Watering thoroughly doesn’t mean overwatering the plant.
Overwatering will kill the plant.
If you wish to know how to take care of plants water requirements in case of shortage of water, then read below:
- Mulching: The importance of Mulching can’t be underestimated. Mulch your plant pots heavily with organic matter to reduce evaporation of water from the soil. Dry leaves, paddy straw, coconut husks can all be used as organic mulch.
- Water the plants enough to keep the soil moist and not drenched. Make sure water does not run off from the pots.
- Do not water the plants in the day as it leads to faster evaporation. Either hydrate them at dusk or at dawn.
2. Provide Shade and Shelter
Plants get sunburn too! You cover yourself in clothes, wear hats to protect yourself from the fiery sun rays. In the same manner, you can protect your plants by keeping them in the shade. Provide them with shade and shelter as you can’t apply sunscreen on the leaves. Spare them from the direct sunlight by moving them indoors. They will thank you!
Now, if you are running low in space or don't have enough shady spots at your home, do not fret! You can still protect your foliage babies from the furious sun. This is how to take care of plants in summer from heat.
- Use shade cloth or net to provide shelter to your plants. You can use greenhouse shade cloth that allows only partial sunlight to pass through, enough for their growth and the daily dose of Vitamin D.
- You could also build a shade house for your plant. You can make the structure out of steel and bamboo material.
- If you are looking for a more cost-friendly option, then you can dry your clothes around the potted plants. You can also move them to spots that receive less sunlight.
3. SafeGuard and Shield Them From Winds
Cool winds are liked by all, including plants. But dry and hot winds are damaging. If you ever felt that winds make your skin dry and dusty, imagine what your plants must be going through when they have to battle strong winds. Winds make the soil dry and also damages the leaves.
Now, you must be thinking of how you can control winds. Admittedly, you cannot control the movement of winds, but you can surely safeguard your plants from them.
- Bigger and stronger plants can act as a wind barrier. So place them in the spot where you expect to get maximum wind blow.
- You can nurture and nourish creepers and climbers because they are good windbreakers.
- You can shield your plants by building wind barriers with a shade cloth screen.
4. Choose The Plant Wisely and Carefully
Like you, every plant is not a summer plant. Even if you prepare them well or take good care of them in summers, they will succumb to the heat. Maybe, it is their way of telling you that they don’t like sunny and sweaty summers. It is always advisable and good to grow seasonal and heat tolerant plants.
- Banana
- Ridge Gourd
- Okra
- Chillies
- Cucumbers
- Watermelon
- Tomatoes
- Some varieties of beans
These all are summer-friendly plants.
5. Other Tips and Tricks
In addition to these, you need to pay attention to other tips and tricks.
- Do not fertilize or repot the plant during a heatwave. At this point of time, they do not require nutrients, but time to recover and adjust to changing weather conditions.
- Pruning is also not recommended during summer because of the heat stress (A little pruning like you get your hair trim is good for growth).
That’s all from us on how to take care of indoor plants in summer. These steps will help you keep your plants green and thriving in the heat too!
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