5 Landscaping Tips For Hot Weather

The summer is in full swing and the hot and humid August is here. Not that the rest of the summer was chilly if you know what I mean! It’s tempting to stay inside and enjoy conditioned air, but remember that in such heat your yard is suffering just as much as you do. Luckily, our professionals at Woodfield Landscaping know several hot-weather landscaping tips that will help you keep your property looking good with minimal effort.

Hot Weather Hints for Landscaping

Water regularly early in the morning

The ideal time to water plants in summer is in the early morning before the sun is high up in the sky (between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m.). It is too early for people who enjoy sleeping in and, sometimes, not possible at all for those working morning shifts. However, if you do have a morning to spare, use it to attend to your plants and lawn, because it provides several benefits:

• Because the sun is not at the highest point and the soil is still moist from the dew, the water is more likely to get absorbed before it evaporates from heat.
• You end up using less water due to less evaporation
• Water left sitting on the leaves in the mid-day can become very hot and burn the plants
• The extra water has enough time to evaporate during the day, so that the plants are not cold and soggy overnight

If you don’t have time in the morning, then you have two alternatives: an automated sprinkler system or watering manually after sunset. Be sure to set the sprinkler for early mornings since that’s when it will be most effective.

Watering after sunset shouldn’t negatively affect your plants unless they are picky and the care recommendations specifically warn against it. Otherwise, as a landscaping company in Maryland, we recommend applying water directly to the roots, but keeping it low-pressure so that you don’t wash away the soil and keep the leaves dry.

Water deeply

Make sure you use enough water to reach the roots and don’t water too often, especially when it comes to lawns. Getting a lawn slightly stressed from heat encourages root growth, while frequent shallow watering promotes weed growth.

Create shade

If you have any portable plants in pots, move them to a location that receives shade during the hottest part of the day. You can also try to create artificial shade over your most delicate plants by using mesh or fabric.

Don’t cut short

No shorter than 3 inches is a good look for your lawn during the summer. This height is optimal for a good root growth that helps eliminate weeds. Three inches is also tall enough to cast significant shadow on the soil preventing it from drying out too fast.

Mulch well

Maintain two to three inches of mulch on your shrub beds: it will help keeping the moisture in and temperature down. Besides that, mulch also gives your raised bed a clean look and reduces weed growth, which for you means less time spent outside in the heat attending to your plants.

And if you decide that this is still too much work and you don’t have enough time – give your local Maryland landscapingprofessional a call and we’ll help you with the summer maintenance.