3 ways to save plants from summer heat

June 30, 2023

The summer season is officially upon us, which means sunshine, vacations, and more days spent away from the office. Although extra sun and summer heat may sound like great things for your plants, too much of either can cause all kinds of problems for your little green friends.

With many factors to consider such as plant care while you’re on vacation, avoiding overwatering and underwatering, plant sunburn, etc., right now is the best time to become acquainted with the warning signs of a summer sick plant and the quick fixes you can apply to make sure they survive another season of extremes.

So let’s dive into the topic of summer plant care and the three ways you can save your plants from summer heat.

1. Moving plants

It’s easy to forget about office plants over the summer or even your plants at home while you enjoy the hot weather outside, but one easy preventative measure can be as simple as moving your plants out of areas of harsh sunlight.

Although some plants can endure long bouts of sun exposure better than others, (i.e. cacti or snake plants), succulent and cactus sunburn are real. Signs of plant sunburn include: a total change of color, curling, burnt-looking leaves, and even peeling skin as seen in the case of sunburned cacti. Look out for plants turning yellow or brown, signs of burn spots on leaves, and especially if they’re leafy tropical plants.

Avoid a monstera sunburn this summer and move those plants!

Tropical plants like monstera and strelitzia may require more care over the summer. This Tropical Set is available in the Plant Store.

2. Tips for preventing overwatering and underwatering

With the increased heat and aridity of summer days, plants will of course need more water than usual, but just how much more is enough?

Some plants like cacti may be considered ‘the best plants for summer’ as they can survive longer periods without watering and higher temperatures. But even dry weather plants can have a hard time indoors during the summer. As for tropical plants such as strelitzia, monstera, and palms, dry heat can be a bit trickier to deal with as these plants require more humidity than others.

Succulents store water in their leaves, so can go longer stretches between watering.

Tips to avoid overwatering

Before watering always check soil moisture with your hands by dipping a finger an inch into the soil.
If plants and their soil are looking especially dried out, water plants slowly to give them more time to soak up water.
Use a water level indicator to check on the status of your plants. Learn more about using water level indicators and semi-hydroponic potting systems here.

Tips to avoid underwatering

Implement self-watering systems such as glass watering globes or the DIY version.
Create humidity by placing potted plants with drainage in shallow dishes of pebbles and water. As the water evaporates, it will create a cloud of humidity around your plant.
If you’re off on vacation for more than a week try out the bathtub method for tropical plants.
Give cacti and succulents a big watering before leaving for vacation.
Avoid watering plants in direct sun, it’ll only intensify the heat. Instead, always water in the mornings or evenings.

If you’re planning a vacation over the summer and are worried about unattended plants, check out our full guide to keeping your plants alive while traveling.

Try using the bathtub soaking method before heading off for vacation.

3. Hold off on fertilizing during heatwaves

An overwatered plant is one issue, an overfed one is an entirely different problem of its own. Although it seems logical to feed plants during these growing periods, heat can be a real stressor on plants and their root systems. That doesn’t mean not fertilizing altogether, especially if you’re using a natural fertilizer or one without salts. Fertilizing during the growing season is still important. But when it comes to temperature extremes, it’s best to hold off on the fertilizer during any kind of heatwave, as your plant will be in survival mode and not looking for any additional nutrients.

Although it may sound scary to leave your plant babies alone this summer, if you follow these steps, hopefully you won't be coming back to a plant graveyard in the office this autumn. And if you’re a Plantclub member, enjoy the time away and let us take care of your office plants for you.

View the original article on Plantclub.io.

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