Now that the weather forecasters have officially declared this the hottest summer on record, we gardeners are coping in various creative ways with the heat and drought. Working in the cooler parts of the day, following shade around the property, staying well hydrated with water and slathering on the sunscreen is one part of the picture.
Our plants are used to at least 1” of water per week in New England. Usually this falls from the sky, or we plan to supplement with automated irrigation and or hand watering. Water bans and restrictions now make watering your garden much more difficult.
We at PBOG can help – our spray trucks are outfitted with 200 gallon tanks that can be filled with water and brought to your yard! To help stressed trees, shrubs and perennials recover, we recommend the addition of Stress X, a kelp/seaweed solution full of micronutrients.
In addition, we have people who can hand water containers or designated plants. We recommend our spike waterers and watering wands for this job. The spike waterer can be attached to a garden hose and left running while other nearby tasks are accomplished, usually 15-20 minutes per plant. And the watering wand is like a shower head that can be aimed at the roots of recently-planted trees and shrubs.
There is a silver lining to every cloud: there are zero slugs this season! Even weeds are not as rambunctious. We notice when pruning that there is less growth to prune off this season.
But – please bring on some real rain soon!
