How to avoid the No. 1 reason plants struggle through the summer
It's Memorial Day weekend. Many people consider this to be the unofficial start to summer. In reality, there are still three and half weeks of spring left. I like spring to last as long as it can. No need to go faster towards summer.
When summer arrives, our spring fever has long worn off. The joy of spring planting is gone and sometimes gardening becomes challenging and frustrating. This can happen as we need to maintain our plants through the summer. Planting is fun; maintenance is work.
Summer gardening rule No. 1: Don't drown the plants!
I want to give you some advice now, so you avoid the most common reason plants struggle through the summer. Do not overwater.
We spend a lot of money on plants, and we want to do everything we can to make sure they grow and thrive. Because of this, we think we should be proactive when it comes to watering and worry if plants dry out they will die.
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Not so. Plants that stay constantly wet will suffer. Roots absorb air in addition to water, and wet soil keeps plants from getting the oxygen that they need. Let your plants dry out between watering. Check them daily by feeling the soil, or by checking the weight of the pot.
It’s also okay to let the plants tell you when they are thirsty. Let them start to wilt. When you see them wilt, water them. Within an hour they will look refreshed. After you have done this a few times, you can establish a schedule by learning how long it takes for them to dry out.
It's not the heat, it's the humidity
During the summer months, we also find ourselves being challenged by insects affecting some of our plants. With our humidity, we also have challenges with plant diseases. You should also know that most insects and diseases will not kill your plants. Insects can chew holes or suck juices out of the leaves, however, most infestations are small enough that the damage can be minor, and the plant will survive.
The same is true of plant disease. Plant diseases, mostly fungus, will make the foliage look bad, but again the plant will survive. Understand that once a plant has a disease, the disease does not go away. You can use fungicide to keep the disease from spreading, but the infected leaves will stay the same.
If you have plants that are vulnerable to diseases, you should spray with a fungicide proactively to stay ahead of the disease. Plant diseases most frequently appear as yellowing, with black spots on leaves. This is common with roses. Another is powdery mildew, which is a white film on the foliage. There are both chemical and natural fungicides that can be used. A couple of great, safe natural fungicides are Copper Fungicide or Neem Oil.
Watch out for the bugs!
For insects, you'll want to take the opposite approach. You do not want to spray proactively. You only want to spray when you see active and – most importantly – harmful insects on your plants. The majority of bugs are good for plants and the environment. Very few are bad. For this reason, you only want to spray insecticides when you have damaging insects. When you do spray, you also have the option of chemicals or natural alternatives.
You should also know that both insects and plant diseases are mostly "host specific." This means that they will only affect one type of plant. If you have Black Spot on your roses, the disease will not infect your petunias.
When you suspect you might have an insect or disease problem, you can take a sample of the leaf into a good garden center to have it properly diagnosed. They will also be able to recommend a product to help your plants.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: This is the most common reason plants struggle through the summer
