Friday, July 31, 2015

Hot, Hot, Hot

Yep it’s summertime in Montreal! Our first real heat wave of the year.  I hope you are all managing to keep cool and hydrated these days.  And if you are on vacation, hope you are spending a lot of time at the pool or beach!

  It’s at this time we also have to keep in mind our plants are also feeling the heat. So they may require more frequent watering, but let’s not drown them with kindness either. If you’re indoor plants they are situated in direct sun, now may be the time to move them a little bit away from the window before they get burned.
If you have sheer curtains it would be good to keep them closed during the mid morning to mid afternoon time period.

     If you have an air conditioner (which I hope most of you do), it is also a good idea to move your plants out of the direct air flow from the vents. Our plants do prefer a somewhat even climate, so any major change in temperature (either way) is not good for them and they may start complaining.

   The same is true for your outdoor flowers as well. Now I know you can’t move them away from the midday sun, and you probably don’t have your air conditioning outside. You simply need to use some common sense when figuring out a watering schedule. Be mindful of when it rains and if we get a good amount, then there is no need to water your flowers, or lawn for that matter. But if it’s been very hot and dry, you may need to water your flowers and lawn thoroughly. If there has only been a little drizzle, (and especially if it falls in the heat of the day), it’s likely to have evaporated before it has even had a chance to do any good, so again you should water your flower beds and lawn.

  Best time to water is the morning (for outdoors, and even in door as well), but if you are a late riser and cannot do so, then the best time of the day (at this time of year) is around 6:30 - 7. If you water after 8, 8:30, your plants have already started their “night night” routine, and the water will not get absorbed as well as it should. You also run the risk of keeping the moisture on the leaves which can cause fungus.  The same is true for your grass (just thought you may want to know). Just make sure to give enough water to make them all happy!

So let’s all try to enjoy the summer heat, and try to keep our flowers, plants and lawns looking as fresh as springtime!