In the garden: Water, water everywhere! 

In a prolonged heat wave, all of us — animal and vegetable alike — could really use a long, cool drink of water. Photo by Supplied

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Like a lot of gardeners, I’ll take warm weather over cold any day, but even I had to admit the recent heat wave here in southern Ontario was pretty gruesome. But if you think it was hard on us humans, imagine what it was like for our gardens.  

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Unlike us, they can’t go for a dip in the pool or head inside to the air conditioning. So they’re depending on us to help them not just thrive in the hot weather, but actually survive. Here’s a few ideas that might help. 

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Like you, your plants shouldn’t have to work too hard in the heat. Postpone fertilizing them and avoid all but the lightest pruning. (Pruning can also cause damage by exposing tender stems or trunks to direct sun they’re not used to.)  

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Regularly check hanging baskets, containers and, especially, houseplants that are summering outside, using a moisture meter or just your finger. You may find yourself watering them more than once a day.  

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If you can, try to move them out of the direct sun, at least during the hottest part of the day. Even a few hours in broiling sun can cause a sunburn that could disfigure a plant and at worst, kill it. (Even garden plants that are showing signs of heat stress might benefit from an umbrella or bedsheet to protect them.) 

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The most important help you can give your garden is, of course, deep and regular watering. Fortunately, we haven’t had municipal watering restrictions yet, at least where I live, but with climate change, both heat waves and water restrictions are bound to increase, so the right tools and techniques are critical. 

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The ideal is a drip or direct-spray irrigation system that you can thread around the base of your plants. Once installed, basically you just turn it on (you can even get automated systems), and it delivers a steady stream of water directly to the roots.  

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However, convenient and efficient as they are, these systems are an investment. If, like me, your watering system is a hose and your own two arms, here’s what to keep in mind. 

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The first is to, please, put away the oscillating sprinkler. I read somewhere that less than half the water that comes out of that kind of sprinkler actually gets to the plants, or the lawn, before evaporating. 

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I use a small, circular sprinkler called a “Dad’s Reliable” on my lawn. Yes, it’s a sprinkler too, but it’s more efficient than the oscillating type because the spray is steady, rather than back and forth or intermittent. And you can precisely control the spray distance and velocity by varying water pressure at the tap.  

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For the garden, a spray wand is very useful for aiming water directly at the roots of plants where it’s most needed. Don’t just spray generally at or over the top of your plants; not only does this accelerate evaporation, but if the sun lands directly on wet leaves, it can burn them. Wet foliage and poor air circulation can also lead to mildew and other problems. 

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The best time to water your garden is first thing in the morning, before the sun has a chance to really warm things up. Water steadily and deeply, moving the wand from plant to plant systematically. Depending on how bad the heat is, you may have to do this as often as daily; check the soil to be sure. 

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And don’t forget that in weather like this, your trees suffer as much or more than your plants do. While you’re watering your garden, make sure you give them a good long drink as well. If you live on an urban street with city trees planted on the sidewalk in front of your house, give those a good watering too; they have a tough enough life as it is. 

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