The Essential Gardening Task You Should Never Do In High Heat
Sun's out, shears out? Not so fast. Sure, you might love the idea of tending to your garden on a day that Mother Nature has decided to bring the heat. (Or maybe you just figure that while you're watering your plants on a hot and sunny afternoon, you might as well knock a few items off your garden to-do list.)
But there is at least one gardening task that you should not perform during peak sun hours — heavy pruning. Turns out, humans are not the only living things that could use a little SPF. Your plants can get sunburned, too. Plus, pruning takes a toll on the plant, so when you couple that stress with the intensity of sunlight and potential sunburn, you expose the greenery to potential problems. A better plan for your plants — and maybe for you — is to take it easy in the hot afternoon sun, and save the pruning for a cooler day.
Pruning in hot weather
Pruning is an important part of upkeep for many types of plants, and there are even some perennials that should be pruned in the summer to encourage more showstopping blooms next season. But just keep in mind that if you are having a tough time managing the heat, your greenery probably is, too. Pruning when it is too hot exposes new areas of the plant or tree to the sun, increasing the potential for sunburn, oxidation, and dehydration. Vegetation can typically recover from a temporary lack of water, but plants that look dehydrated are not as visually pleasing in the meantime. Additionally, the double whammy of pruning and more sunlight will stress out the plant. That added strain is more likely to attract garden pests you'll want to banish from your yard, like the wood-boring beetle.
This does not mean you cannot prune at all in the hotter months, if that is what your plants need. Just save the task for the early morning or the evening, when the sun is not quite as intense, or for a cooler or cloudy day. And don't forget to top off your pruning session by watering the roots directly to de-stress your plant and give it the nourishment needed to thrive.