Help Your Garden Survive A Heat Wave

To help your garden survive a heat wave, it’s important to do the following:  

Water in the early morning or evening. This allows the water to better penetrate the soil and minimizes the amount of moisture lost to evaporation. 

Harvest as much as you can to help reduce plant stress. It takes a lot of energy for plants to hold fruit.

Top dress the soil around your plants with fresh compost. This adds moisture to the soil and protects the root system from the heat.

Add mulch to the soil surface to further lock in moisture.

Do not fertilise during a heatwave as this will over stress your plant. Plants need to lay low and focus solely on survival during a heat wave and since fertilising encourages plant growth it can cause your plant to overexert itself.  

Use shade cloths where possible to shield your plants from the sun, in particular seedlings or sun sensitive plants.   

Apply a seaweed solution in the early morning or evening, preferably before the heatwave commences. Seaweed solution is more of a plant tonic rather than a fertiliser and will help your plant become more resilient and better able to manage stressful conditions. Seaweed can be used on a regular basis throughout the year. 

Happy Gardening!