06/29/2026
Five Way to Protect Plants from the Heat - It’s not only humans that get stressed when the daytime temperatures are in the upper
80s - 90s and nighttime temperatures in the 70s for multiple days in a row. Insects quit pollinating. The bees like to take it easy & rest during hot days. Plants exhibit stress in multiple ways. Look for blossom abort/drop, wilting leaves, leaf scorch, slowed/stopped
growth, and dry soil. Here are five major ways to help your plants cope with the heat this summer.
Water the Right Way:
1. Check soil daily by pushing a finger into the soil. Water if it’s dry an inch or two below the surface. A deep soaking every few days is better than a daily sprinkle on the surface.
2. Water early in the morning while it’s still cool and evaporation is slow.
3. Work soil into ridges around plants to create bowls. Water into these and the ridges will prevent water running away over the surface, giving it time to soak in near the roots. Or sink old pots or bottles into the soil next to plants and water into these.
4. Using a drip irrigation system controlled by a timer is a good idea.
5. Container plants may need watering more than once a day. Make sure the water is absorbed fully into the potting soil, rather than just slipping down cracks between the potting soil and the wall of the container. Use pot saucers under containers to retain the water for longer.
Reduce Evaporation from the Soil: After watering, mulch with organic material such as compost, leaves, or grass clippings to shade the soil, keep the root zone cooler, and reduce evaporation.
Don’t Fertilize in Hot Weather: Adding nutrients prompts plants to grow more, putting them under more stress in hot weather. Plus, they’ll need even more water to process the fertilizer, too! Stop
fertilizing when it gets above 85–90ºF or when plants roll up their leaves, drop their flowers, or stop producing new flowers.
Provide Shade: Use shade cloth or other fabric such as old bed sheets pinned onto frames or hoops to provide shade for plants. Cool-season vegetables, like cabbage, broccoli and lettuce, and fruits such as raspberries and strawberries will enjoy shade from hot afternoon sun.
Harvest Sooner Rather than Later: Harvesting fruits or leaves promptly will help save your plant’s energy. Harvest partially ripened fruits such as tomatoes and finish ripening them in the kitchen to give your plants a break. Plants might slow down in hot weather, but yields should increase again once the weather cools.
The following link is the source for this article.
https://www.almanac.com/video/5-ways-
protect-plants-summer-heat Additional in-depth details about stress symptoms can be found at https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/how-excessive-heat-affects-vegetable-garden
Sue K, CCMG
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