It's hot, damn hot

It only takes a single weekend of moderately warm weather to bring many people out in a rash of moaning that it's  "too bloody hot".

Having lived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for two years a while back I take a different attitude, revelling in stories of 100% humidity, 33C August days in the deep south in a car without air conditioning (I was a poor masters student at the time) in the manner of the Monty Python four yorkshiremen sketch.

But hot weather does mean you have to take extra care of your houseplants and outdoor plants, particularly those that don't hail from warm parts of the world. Here are a few tips on what to do in hot weather:

• Don't water plants in the heat of the midday sun: early morning or late evening is best. But if it's a choice between watering at lunchtime or not watering at all, throw that rule out the window
• If you have houseplants that like cooler conditions, spray them with water, move them away from bright light and water regularly
• If you have cacti or succulents, put them outside in the sunlight and give them a good dousing: they'll love the fresh air and sunshine. But make sure you move them back before it gets chilly.
• Mulch is key to helping your soil retain water. Add whatever you can - newspaper, grass cuttings, black plastic - to the surface of the soil and you'll find your plants will be far happier
• Water your outdoor container plants and hanging baskets twice as often as you think they need it
• Sink plastic bottles next to thirsty plants such as squash and tomatoes - pour the water into the bottles and it should get straight to the plants' roots rather than draining away. Otherwise scrape out a little indented circle around each plant so that the water pools around the plant
• Save water by using "grey" water from your washing up and bathing - once it's cooled down, naturally. Provided you don't use this water on the same spot every day, it shouldn't have any impact on your plants, especially not if you use "eco" washing up liquid

And finally, don't forget your own welfare: while gardening in the heat, take lots of breaks, drink as much water as you can and put off the more strenuous tasks until later in the evening when things have cooled down. And remember to put suntan lotion on the places that can be exposed when you're bending down to tend to your plants. The lower back - often exposed as you squat down and your T-shirt rides up - is at particular risk from the lobster look if you don't.

Comments

[David]

Re: your query in relation to Gardener's World live. I suspect it is a very corporate affair, and very celeb centric to draw the punters in. A friend went on Thursday last week and had a great time but did say that it was rather like being in a large Chain Garden Centre with a few more interesting bits and pieces. Having said that I am in awe of Monty as much as the next man and his approval does suggest it can't be all that bad. I would however recommend Kings Heath Garden Weekend just outside Central Birmingham in (usually) September for a great show on a smaller scale, with genuine enthusiasts, lots of quirky and interesting stuff and some fantastic shopping.

[Peter]

Re: "If you have cacti or succulents, put them outside in the sunlight and give them a good dousing: they'll love the fresh air and sunshine. But make sure you move them back before it gets chilly."

One needs to be careful bringing cacti out into full sun from indoors, as they can get sunburn. Here in Northern California the cacti we have that are not hardy in the ground we do bring outside for the summer, but harden them off first.