It might be a little windier and a little cloudier, but this fall is already proving a lot hotter than they usually get. Usually, you might be used to winding down with your garden as summer ends, but it’s likely to require a little extra care to keep it healthy and safe through the heat.
Consider mulching your flower beds
Heat stress is one of the biggest dangers and it will directly affect the base of your plants for a variety of reasons, such as drying the ground where the roots dig in. Aside from watering your plants, you should look at making use of garden mulch. Even dry grass clippings will work, both by retaining more water and also by providing more nutrition for the plants, as well. Even temporarily mulching your flower beds can help them make it through the hotter days of the year, many of which might hit in the early fall.
Make sure that you’re keeping up with its hydration needs
You might be used to watering the garden a little less than usual as the sun begins to go away for longer throughout the day. However, the higher temperatures mean that your garden is going to retain less water. Keep up with watering it daily or near-daily, and invest in some sprinkler repair to make sure that any sprinkling systems you have in the garden are working as they should be. Be vigilant with your watering until the rain starts to come through for you, instead.
Change your watering schedule
Aside from being ready to keep your watering schedule as frequent as usual, you should also consider changing when you water throughout the day, as well. Watering when the sun is at its highest can see more of the water that you spray evaporating before it has much chance to do good. As such, you should consider watering in the early morning just as the sun is rising. If you can’t do that, then watering at sunset is almost as good. Morning is preferable since it allows roots to get moisture before the sun starts drying the ground.
Be ready for some uninvited guests
Pests can be a problem for gardens throughout the year, but fall is when the bigger and fuzzier kind start to become a little more problematic as they look for shelter. Given that it’s still hot in a lot of places, however, this might mean dealing with more types of pests than usual. There are plenty of ways to control garden pests naturally, but you might want to rely on a professional if you start to see signs of rodents or other larger ones. Either way, keep your eyes peeled for pests a little more than usual.
With the tips above, hopefully, you can keep your garden verdant, healthy, and free of unwanted pests as we get through what might prove to be one of the hottest falls on record. EIther way here’s hoping that the heat breaks soon and we get the rain and cooler temperatures we’re used to.