How can I protect those plants that are sold as "heat-tolerant"?
+4
I live in Tucson AZ where we had a brutally hot summer this year, with a three-week period in June where the highs were over110+ daily! I don't blame the merchants, especially when we hit 115 a number of times. However, I had purchased Snapdragons that were marked as specially grown to deal with our Arizona summers And yet, by the time we got a break in the heat in mid-July they had all perished!
One can never tell when a situation like this will happen. My question is this: I grow flowers on my patio and try to move them so them are not baked in the hot sun. But with a summer like the one we just had, is there a product on the market or one some
bright DIYer knows how to make that can partially block the Sun while still allowing the nourishment to come through without scorching the plants?
bright DIYer knows how to make that can partially block the Sun while still allowing the nourishment to come through without scorching the plants?Related Discussions
Suggested Project Book
We have a house in Phoenix and live in a similar climate here in CA. I just keep all my potted plants where they will be shaded by the house in the afternoon. My ac is running as I write this, the weather service is typically incorrect, almost mid-October and 90+ today, so I understand your issue. I would make landscape fabric "tents" for your plants. What you describe is typical and expect the same next year. Or rearrange things in your garden to be able to handle the brutal sun. If you have a patio, you can hang a bamboo roller shade, that would help too.
Perhaps you could make a upper sun screen with a light colored sheet that you could put up and take down when it wasn't needed. Light would still come through and be bright, but shaded enough to bring down the intensity when it is real hot out. I have plants that say a lot of sun (hibiscus), but only get two to three hours of afternoon and evening sun and they are healthy and happy. They grew a foot in height and width and are still full of flowers and buds. Right now they are in the garage because of a cold snap and don't get any.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/dealing-with-heat-stress.htm
Use a sail shade to block the sun.
I live in Atlanta Georgia I use just a dark colored screen it comes in a roll it's what you use to redo your screen windows. I also ad Soil moist crystals when I put a mixed container together. It looks like rock salt put a small amount in a bucket prior to container add a good amount of water let it set. It will begin to look like clear jello. Now mix it in your containers when your doing pots of color. The plants will suck the water from the crystals keeping them from burning in the hot sun. The crystals will harden again once all the water is gone. Water pots throughly and the crystals will continue to aid in keeping your plants watered and from sun burned. I've been in the garden plant world for about 20 years now. Most snapdragons that I've dealt with aren't succulents and some bloom in spring others like fall cooler weather. Good luck
We live in the Phoenix area and I know just what you are up against. Most plants that are listed as "heat tolerant" are not meant for 110+ degrees... my rose bushes were gasping for breath in July and August... and we have a few plants that tolerate the high heat quite well... Springeri (sp) is a variation of Asparagus fern... we have some in pots on the east side of our house that have done fairly well this summer and I have had Seafoam Statice that hangs in there too (it gets a little crispy.. but comes back in fall). We buy the majority of our plants from our local nursery rather than from Home Depot or Lowe's (who get the majority of their plants from CA. and don't stand up to our heat)
Amazingly.. we had some Swiss Chard (variegated colored stems) that was lush and beautiful all thru the summer as well as 2 varieties of Basil.. the Artichokes did well too, and look pretty.. but can get rather big around.(all under a shade cloth cover)
Note: we water every evening just before sundown (not in full sun to prevent sun burning)
Hope this helps