Summer brings explosive growth, but it also delivers intense heat, high humidity, and heavy downpours. These essential tips will help your landscape handle the extremes while looking its absolute best.
Shallow, frequent watering encourages weak, shallow roots that crisp up in the heat. Instead, water your garden deeply twice a week in the early morning to encourage roots to drive downward.
A thick layer of organic mulch acts as sunscreen for your soil. It dramatically reduces water evaporation, keeps the root zones cool, and stops summer weeds from stealing vital nutrients.
High temperatures combined with heavy summer rains create the perfect breeding ground for fungal diseases. Avoid watering foliage in the evening and thin out dense canopies to improve airflow.
Keep your summer bloomers looking spectacular by regularly snipping off faded or dead flowers. This stops the plant from putting energy into seed production and encourages a continuous flush of new color.
Summer is prime time for aphids, caterpillars, and whiteflies. Inspect the undersides of leaves weekly and treat early infestations with organic insecticidal soaps before they can multiply.
Resist the urge to cut your grass extremely short to save time. Leaving the lawn slightly taller (around 2 to 3 inches) shades the soil, retains moisture, and chokes out invading broadleaf weeds.