10 Gardening Mistakes That Everyone Makes In The Summer Heat (& What To Do Instead)

As a gardener, when hot weather hits, you're not just concerned about protecting your home from extreme heat – you've also got your backyard to worry about. You're probably already thinking about what portions of your gardening routine need to be adapted to the hot weather. But when it comes time to protect your precious garden from the heat, there are quite a few common mistakes you might be making. Maybe you jump straight to watering your plants a little too enthusiastically, or perhaps your best pest control efforts fall to the wayside while you worry about high temperatures. 

Unusually high heat can be a serious concern for many gardeners — after all, some plants simply aren't built to survive extreme temperatures. But a heatwave doesn't have to spell the end of your backyard or raised garden beds. Instead of accidentally making one of these mistakes that so many people make during the summer heat, try following some of our tips that will help you keep your plants happy and healthy all summer long, even in the hottest of temperatures. The next time a sudden heatwave hits, you won't be caught off guard — and your plants will thank you for it.

As your plant grows, you're probably used to pruning it every now and then. Whether you're trying to shape it to grow a certain way or just want to make sure it grows back extra large next season, pruning is a key part of caring for your garden — except for during high heat, that is. In the heat, your plants need to conserve as much energy as possible to survive. Plants shut down a little bit during summer in an effort to conserve water, and they're also busy trying to produce proteins that can protect their leaves from sun damage. All of this work means that the last thing your plants want to do is to focus all their efforts on popping out new leaves and blooms — but pruning away at their existing foliage will encourage them to grow more, which is exactly what you don't want to do in a heatwave. 

Pruning your plants can also expose younger leaves and buds to direct sunlight, which can damage them. Young leaves and buds are especially vulnerable to the sun; they haven't yet developed enough to be able to handle excess sunlight. Save all of your pruning efforts for when the weather cools down and it's safe to encourage your plant to grow freely again. Take extra care not to prune any areas that are shading young growth or new leaves, as they likely won't survive when exposed to harsh sunlight.

While summer might seem like a nice time to plant your seedlings outdoors, this could actually cause you to damage them. When seedlings are young, they're especially vulnerable to hot weather and direct sunlight alike. These factors can hurt (or even kill) your seedlings, stunting their growth and causing them to be unhealthy. They don't have the means to develop protective proteins that keep their leaves from being burnt, and they also don't know what to do to protect themselves in excess light. All of these stress factors increase the risk of planting your seedlings outside during hot temperatures.

If you've missed the window for planting your seedlings outside during spring, it's best to keep them indoors. You should wait to plant them until the weather cools down, if possible. If it's going to stay hot for a while, move your seedlings to a larger pot where they can continue to grow safely indoors. Once they've grown enough foliage to protect themselves and are no longer seedlings, you can then move them outside, as long as the weather isn't overly hot. It's always best to avoid moving plants outdoors in high heat whenever possible, so plan to keep it indoors until the hot weather has come and gone.

In extreme heat, it might seem like watering your plants all the time is the best thing to do. It's true that your plants will likely need more water during hot weather times than you're used to giving them otherwise, however, when your plants are overwatered, they aren't always able to soak up all of the water from the soil effectively. This is because plants rely on a process called transpiration, in which the leaves release moisture, much like how humans sweat. If the soil contains too much water, the roots don't have access to the oxygen needed to transpire.  This leaves them sitting in water for long periods, potentially causing them to develop problems like root rot.

In order to prevent both under-watering and overwatering at the same time, you should try using a soil moisture meter. Even if you have a regular watering routine, you need to start testing the moisture of your soil manually during hot weather. If you don't give your plants any extra water in the heat, you'll likely notice that the soil dries out much faster than usual. But if you're dumping loads of extra water over your plants every day, a meter can show you that you're overdoing it and waterlogging your soil. Stick it into the soil to see how moist it is. Only water when the meter shows that you need to. 

Another mistake that many gardeners make during summer is leaving the soil around their plants defenseless. Many gardeners are aware that mulching your soil during fall is beneficial, because it insulates your plants from the cold winter air. But during the summer, mulch can actually help by doing the opposite: It adds a protective layer between your soil and the hot sun, keeping your soil nice and cool. 

Because it protects your soil from sunlight, mulch can also help to prevent all the water in the top layers of your soil from evaporating as quickly as it would if your soil was exposed. This way, you don't have to worry so much about your plants losing too much water. 

When the heat is at its hottest in the middle of the day, you might feel like you need to suffer alongside your plants — after all, shouldn't they need extra water when the heat is high? Believe it or not, watering your plants in the middle of the day can be a big mistake. The soil will dry out faster during high heat and under direct sunlight, so your plants just won't have the time they need to drink up enough water. This can cause them to be under-watered, even if you think you're giving them plenty to drink.

Instead of watering in the middle of the day, try watering in the early morning, before the day heats up and the sun shines directly onto your yard. This will give them plenty of time to soak up all the moisture from the soil before it evaporates. It's important to know that this doesn't mean you have to stop watering in the middle of the day entirely; if you need to cool your plants down or give them a little extra water to drink, feel free to do so in the afternoon. Just keep in mind that your plants will retain more water when you're able to water them in the morning.

We have to admit, using sprinklers in hot weather feels like a well-deserved treat. While they can certainly help make your watering routine easier, sprinklers aren't an excuse to stay inside all summer (as much as we wish they were). Sprinklers tend to water plants lightly — and even if you use them frequently, this still means that the water won't reach deep enough in the soil to allow all of a plant's roots to have access to water. Watering lightly also causes the water to only sink into a little bit of soil, so it will evaporate faster in the heat.

During hot weather, you need to be "deep soaking" all of your plants. Deep soaking is the act of watering your plants very thoroughly, allowing the water to, well, soak deeply into the soil (this doesn't mean overwatering, though). This ensures the water reaches all of your plants' roots, so they can soak up as much water as possible, and prevents the water from evaporating too quickly. Deep soaking is pretty easy to do. Try watering each individual plant with a watering can or gardening hose, ensuring that it's well and truly soaked by using a soil monitor. You can still use sprinklers to keep your plants hydrated, but they'll thrive with a proper deep watering.

When you're busy frantically trying to keep all of your plants alive during extreme heat, your usual routine can fall to the wayside. While pests may not seem like the most pressing issue during hot weather, you should actually be more concerned about them during that time — and not just because they're more active in the summer, either.

High temperatures can stress out plants that aren't used to withstanding long periods of heat. To conserve energy, they grow slowly and may not fruit or bloom. During this period of stress, it's essential that your garden doesn't have multiple stress-causing factors to deal with at once. When pests or diseases hit your plants at a time when they're already stressed, it lowers their chance of recovery.

During periods of heat, it's essential that you refocus your pest control efforts. Stay on top of regular inspections of your garden plants to ensure they're not harboring the beginning of an infestation. Use natural pest control methods to prevent any unwanted guests from visiting your plants, and consider temporary options, like protective nets, if you want to give yourself some extra peace of mind. You can also spray your plants directly with a garden hose to literally wash away pesky pests.

When your plants are suffering in the heat, it might seem like a good time to give them some fertilizer — after all, this will encourage your plants to thrive, right? Though it seems like a sound idea, fertilizing in high temperatures can actually injure your plants by restricting their ability to take up water, resulting in physical burns and visible damage.Additionally, because plants are trying to conserve energy rather than grow during hot weather, they won't actually be able to use the fertilizer you give them. This causes them to become stressed due to all the extra nutrients you're trying to give them — fertilizing your plants in high heat is like trying to feed someone who isn't hungry!

Don't fertilize your plants at all when the weather is hot. You should wait to give your plants any kind of nutrients — compost or store-bought alike — until after the weather has cooled down consistently and your plants are ready to grow regularly again. Once they're done conserving energy to survive the heat, your plants will start needing nutrients again, which makes fall a great time to fertilize.

Transplanting plants during high heat is a mistake that many gardeners make. When a plant is suffering during high temperatures, it seems kinder to transplant it to an area that's more shaded (or maybe to even move it indoors). However, this can have the opposite effect. Transplanting a plant can cause it a lot of stress; if it's already suffering in the heat, you could end up killing your struggling plant. Plants remain stressed out for a while after transplanting them, so it won't exactly face a quick and easy recovery, either.

To prevent this issue in the first place, consider where your plants are living before high temperatures hit. This is why finding your ideal garden layout is so important — it can help you understand where each one of your plants will be safest in your yard. If you need to move a plant to a shadier location or bring it indoors temporarily, do so when it's thriving — not when it's already having a hard time. If you have a plant in your yard that's struggling, there's no point in transplanting it. Instead, leave it be, but pay it extra attention. You can try giving it a little extra water or putting it under a shade cloth. You can also try propagating it if you're starting to feel like it won't survive.

Leaving your plants to fend for themselves in extreme heat is never a good idea; under intense direct sunlight, leaves can burn, shrivel up, and wither away. Your plants may die off under direct exposure without your help. Instead of leaving your plants defenseless, give them some shade with whatever materials you have on hand. A patio or yard umbrella works well in a pinch, and shade cloth is a must-have for plants you want to save from direct sunlight.

If your plants are trying to produce when high temperatures hit, you might see them start to struggle. Plants have a hard time producing fruit or flowers in high heat because of all that energy they're trying to conserve — growing a fresh tomato or cucumber isn't exactly conducive to their survival. However, if you notice that your plant already has produce that you want it to keep growing, you should focus on trying to prevent the produce from spoiling in hot weather. Direct sunlight can burn your produce, causing tough spots or brown areas. It can also cause your fruit to ripen unevenly, and the sun can also leave your plant's produce defenseless against hungry pests.

Focus your attention on each piece of produce that you want to survive. Cover your soon-to-be-harvests with shade cloth, which can prevent the direct sunlight from scorching them, and consider adding netting to your garden to protect it from pests, too. Expect to lose some of your harvest to the heat — young flowers, fruits, and veggies might not survive — but know that you can protect produce that is almost ripe for at least a little while, and that your plant can still come out the other side healthy and happy.