Photography: Brigid Arnott
At this time of year, things are really heating up. While the warmer temperatures might be uncomfortable for you, your backyard is also going to need a little extra TLC.
The Bureau of Meteorology has forecasted warmer than average temperatures, including overnight, with rainfall expected to be below average for Australians residing in parts of the west and inland parts of the east. While expected rainfall in much of the east coast and south is yet to become clear, it’s best to prepare for the worst as you keep an eye on what’s to come. October to April is also peak thunderstorm season, increased chance of heatwaves, which can cause plants to wilt, scorch and reduce growth.
Not only do Aussies need to preserve their own health in the heat, but they also need to protect their yards. Angie Thomas, Horticulture Consultant to Yates has revealed her top tips.
What to do if you’re going on holiday
If you’re travelling to visit family and friends this summer and want to return to a live garden, water your plants thoroughly and deeply before applying a three to five-centimetre layer of mulch to the top of pots and garden beds to help reduce moisture loss from the soil.
If a neighbour can water your plants for you, group your potted plants together to make it easier for them (you can put indoor pot plants together in the bath tub). Move tender plants to a shaded spot where they are protected from harsh sun and will benefit from any natural rainfall. Place saucers under vulnerable potted plants, like hydrangeas, to catch excess water for them to drink on hot and dry days.
No matter the size of your property, the elements for a Hamptons style garden can be incorporated to stunning effect. (Photographer: Sue Stubbs)
Prepare for dry conditions
With hot, dry conditions expected, spray plants and seedlings with a drought shield to help reduce water loss from leaves and increase your plant’s chances of survival.
An application of soil wetter around the root zone in garden beds and potted plants will help get water where it’s needed by breaking down the waxy water-repellent layer that can develop on soil surfaces.
You can also mix water storage crystals into the soil before planting. For existing plants, spoon a few pre-hydrated crystals into vertical holes poked down into the root area.
Beware bug and storm season
Lawn grubs can rapidly destroy an entire lawn – not what you want during the season of backyard cricket! Armyworm caterpillars can also ruin large patches of lawn in late summer by stripping grass foliage.
You can protect the lawn and control curl grubs and armyworm by treating with a lawn insecticide.
Where thunderstorms are expected, apply a lawn fertiliser towards the end of the wet season to replace the nutrients in your luscious lawn that were washed away by heavy rains.
(Credit: Photography: Abbie Melle)
Keep your vegies alive in the heat
To keep your homegrown salad bowl fresh, if potted vegies start to get too hot and wilt, move them into a more shaded spot. Lettuce, rocket, parsley, mint, basil, and silverbeet will all tolerate partial shade, with morning sun and afternoon shade being ideal.
In tropical zones, cherry tomatoes, watermelon, eggplant, lettuce, cucumber, and Asian greens like Bok choy are great to sow now.
Combat fruit flies
Delicious and juicy fruit is perfect for a warm summer, so make sure to keep those pesky fruit flies at bay by using a bait. Look for one that is certified for use in organic gardening, as it will be derived from naturally occurring soil bacteria. Apply it to the lower trunk, foliage or a piece of plywood. Don’t forget to remove any fallen fruit to help deter fruit fly infestations.
To promote sweet and juicy fruit this summer, mulch strawberries and other berries with sugar cane or pea straw to help keep roots cooler and reduce moisture loss from the soil.
Deter tiny pests
Garden pests like mites will be more of a common problem this summer thanks to higher temperatures. So too are caterpillars, aphids and whitefly.
Look out for mottled leaves and spidery webs created by mites, leaf holes left by caterpillars and yellowing plants from sap sucking aphids and whitefly. Carefully apply a spray to control the most common pests on roses, flowers, vegetables and citrus. Water plants well beforehand, then apply the spray in the cool of the early evening.
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