‘Big mistake! ’: ‘Worst’ task gardeners are urged to avoid now – ‘plants will suffer’ — Express
While gardens might love a spot of sunshine, gardening in hot weather should be undertaken carefully. The wrong move could make the difference between preserving and protecting gardens and destroying them. From potting now plants to turning a blind eye to weeds , Emma Loker, expert gardener at DIY Garden exclusively shared with Express. co. uk three mistakes gardeners ought to avoid for the rest of the heatwave period.
Potting new plants
If the garden is looking a little dry and tired, gardeners may be tempted in order to plug the gaps with some lush new plants – but the particular pros advise against this.
Emma explained: “One of the worst times to pot brand new plants will be during a heatwave.
“Yes, you may want your garden to look glorious for the upcoming BBQ, but I warn against it.
“Soil can lose moisture if you disturb it during the heatwave, leaving less water for your new plants in order to soak up.
“While bigger, less needy plants may survive being planted within warm weather, smaller, more high-maintenance plants will certainly suffer. ”
READ MORE: How to water your own garden vegetation during a heatwave : ‘key’ tip
Watering grass less frequently during this time will help this effectively extract moisture from the soil.
The gardening expert said: “We panic when brown patches appear on our lawn, especially throughout a heatwave.
“We’re too quick to gather the hose and douse our beloved grass in water. Unfortunately, this is usually a big mistake.
“Lawns often turn brownish in the heat but rapidly return to a luscious green when temperatures drop.
“While it’s ok in order to water your lawn occasionally, watering grass too frequently can make it reliant on drinking water and much less capable of extracting moisture through the ground. ”
READ MORE: Francis Tophill shares why you don’t have to water lawn in summer
Simply knowing when to water lawns will keep them within top condition.
It’s the good idea to water grass once a week if it’s not raining, yet be careful not in order to flood the particular grass whenever watering.
Turning a blind eye to impending weeds
Weeds are usually typically the number one nightmare for gardeners at the best of times, but during hot temperatures these pesky plant life thrive making them harder to remove.
Emma explained: “If there’s one thing weeds love, it can hot weather, so a heatwave is prime weed growth time.
“They’ll start to crop up everywhere – from the gaps in your paving stones in order to dry patches in your own lawn. ”
To combat this the professional advised: “Get outside plus rid your garden associated with weeds when there’s a heatwave.
“I recommend the Fiskars Xact Weed Puller. It’s long-handled, therefore you won’t have to stoop, and it may extract the particular whole root network, making it less likely for that pesky weeds in order to return. ”
Carlos Real, lawn care expert plus managing director of Total Lawn advised against using weed killers at this particular time, especially on yards.
He stated: “Although your own grass can be incredibly resilient at times, it’s best to avoid using any weed killer during the heatwave, as it’s another unnecessary stress for your healthy grass to fight.
“As the heat takes over, plant development slows down and the leaves dry out, reducing the amount of herbicide that weeds can absorb – so even if you want to eliminate weeds, chances are they’re not budging until after the particular sun has gone anyway. ”