Protection of plants from heat and heat

July 22, 2022 3 Comments

Every summer, the plants and flowers we have in the garden and in pots on the balcony suffer from the excessive heat.

During periods of heat, our plants need special care to be able to cope. High temperatures and strong rays of the sun, especially in the midday hours, can create significant problems in growth, flowering and fruit production.

In many cases the damage caused by the intense heat can be irreversible. In addition to the problems created by the sun, during the summer the plants are vulnerable and show great sensitivity to attacks by diseases and insects.

Let’s see in detail what damage the heat causes to garden plants and how we can protect them from the heat to keep our garden beautiful, cool and blooming all summer long.

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What damage does heat and heat do to plants?

High temperatures, intense sun and dry atmosphere cause significant problems in the basic functions of plants.

As a result, there is widespread destruction of plant cells with negative consequences on vegetation, flower formation, fruit set, as well as the production of quality fruit.

At the same time, during the summer season, due to the high temperatures, many insects and diseases appear that parasitize the damaged plants.

The most common problems encountered in plants due to heat and heat are the following:

a) Heat damage to vegetables 

Most of the summer vegetables, such as the tomato crop, the pepper crop, the cucumber crop, the eggplant crop, the squash crop, the melon crop and the watermelon crop, show burns on leaves and fruits due to the intense sunshine.

Sunburn on tomatoes, peppers and eggplants

High temperatures and intense radiation can also create burns on the flowers and general problems in the flowering and fruiting of most horticultural crops.

Also, due to excessive heat in the summer season, our vegetables are attacked by the tetranych, which does extensive damage to the vegetable garden as soon as the temperature starts to rise.

Dealing with tetranychos in the garden

b) Heat damage to fruit trees 

Several fruit trees suffer significant damage during the summer season due to heat. Initially, sensitive young seedlings of citrus (lemon, orange, tangerine) and subtropical plants (avocado, mango, banana) suffer from burns on the foliage and need attention especially during the first 1-2 years after planting.

In addition, in conditions of heat and heat, the tender vegetation of young citrus seedlings is attacked by the leafhopper, while the new vegetation of young olive trees is affected by margaronia, with the result that their growth is significantly limited.

Treatment of the leafhopper in lemon and citrus fruits

Heat and sudden changes in temperature and humidity can cause many fruit trees to drop fruit or burst fruit and generally degrade their quality, making them inedible or unmarketable.

c) Heat damage to flowers and ornamental plants 

Ornamental plants due to heat and high temperatures may show yellowing of their leaves and drying of their flowers.

The dry-thermal conditions favor the growth of tetranych which creates intense drying and twisting of leaves and generally causes cachexia in plants.

In hot conditions, plants cannot absorb water directly from the soil, while at the same time their root system does not develop well, with the result that in many cases the plants become stressed and dry out.

For the same reason, we avoid planting ornamental plants in periods of intense heat.

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How do we protect plants from heat and heat?

Some plants can withstand the sun and heat, while others are more vulnerable.

When the temperature exceeds 30°C, we take appropriate preventive measures to protect our plants and help them withstand the heat.

To protect against heat, sun and high summer temperatures, we follow the following steps for plant care:

1. Water the plants regularly with more water

The first and most important step in hot weather is proper watering. To help the plants to be cool during the day, we water regularly, maybe even daily, at dusk or early in the morning so they can withstand the high temperatures.

We should note that midday watering can create quite a few problems for plants in hot weather. At the same time, we are careful not to water excessively, as in conditions of excessive humidity, rotting of the roots of the plants, falling of leaves and flowers can occur.

10 secrets for proper watering and healthy plants

2. Wet the leaves to increase humidity

In order for the plants to withstand hot conditions, we moisten the foliage of the plants during the night hours. This is very important especially for indoor plants, as well as outdoor plants that grow in a cool environment, such as gardenia, camellia and fig.

Of course, we are careful and avoid wetting the leaves when it is sunny because burns will be created on the leaves. We also limit ourselves to wetting the leaves to cool the plants, avoiding excessive watering in this case as well.

3. Move the pots to a cool, shady spot 

The plants that we have in pots, and especially those that are sensitive to the intense sun, can be moved to a northern or western part of the yard or balcony.

To protect them, we keep the plants in places with less sun and more dew for the entire period of heat and high temperatures.

4. We stop applying fertilizer

We avoid putting fertilizer on the plants on hot summer days, as it can create problems in the plants’ functions.

Ammonia fertilizers and manure in particular cause significant stress to plants, which are trying to cope with the summer heat.

5. Protect the plants from the sun with a special net 

A simple and highly effective solution to prevent the plants from coming into direct contact with the strong rays of the midday summer sun is the use of a special protection net.

By using the special sun protection net, we limit the burns on the foliage in hot conditions and maintain the good growth of the plants.

6. Spray the foliage of the plants with zeolite or kaolin 

In conditions of heat and intense sunshine, we can spray the plants with ecological preparations of kaolin or zeolite that create a white coating on the leaf surface of the plants.

In this way, an impenetrable layer of protection is formed which is a shield for the strong rays of the sun and ensures the good condition of the plants.

Protection of plants with kaolin

7. Add liquid seaweed extract to the plants

In hot weather, we water or spray our plants with ecological seaweed extract.

Due to the natural hormones they contain, algae significantly help replenish damaged plant cells in conditions of extreme heat.

Algae to stimulate plants

And a secret for protecting plants from the heat

We avoid spraying or dusting with various plant protection products during the midday hours of the summer and in hot conditions in order not to cause burns to the plant foliage.

In particular, spraying with formulations such as summer pulp, wettable copper, wettable sulfur, as well as dusting with sulfur and thiochalcine causes great damage to plants when temperatures exceed 30°C and should be avoided.

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