While some sun-loving indoor plants like succulents and cacti bloom in high temperatures. Most indoor plants are not accustomed to the sweltering heat of a summer heat wave.
This includes even your best indoor plants including succulents and cacti. Unless they’ve been moved outdoors for the season. Leafy tropical indoor plants are particularly vulnerable to heat damage, which can be irreversible if not managed properly.
Fortunately, we’ve got you covered with a comprehensive heat wave survival guide for your best indoor plants and hydroponic garden.
10 Summer Plant Care Tips
Tip 1. Use Plenty of Mulch
Protection During Heat Waves: Applying a thick layer of organic mulch to your landscaped plants in the yard is essential to protect them during heat waves. This step is crucial for the well-being of your hydroponics garden.
Retention of Water: Mulching your hydroponic garden beds plays a vital role in retaining water. This is critical for the survival and health of your best indoor plants, particularly during periods of drought and extreme heat.
Lowering Soil Temperature: Another significant benefit of mulching is that it helps lower the soil temperature. This is essential for preventing heat stress in your indoor plants, which can be detrimental to their growth and overall health.
Moisture Retention: Organic mulch not only aids in retaining moisture in the soil but also acts as a protective barrier against the harsh UV rays of the sun. This moisture retention is essential for the long-term health of your indoor plants.
How To Do It:
Select the Right Type: There are two main types of mulch: organic and synthetic. Organic mulch, consisting of materials like leaves, straw, bark, or grass clippings, is preferred for its numerous benefits. However, if you opt for synthetic mulch, it can be made from materials like plastic, rubber, stone, or gravel.
Prepare Your Garden Beds: Before mulching, ensure that your hydroponic gardening beds and landscape garden beds are free of weeds and debris. This creates a clean and healthy environment for your indoor plants to thrive.
Apply a Thick Layer: Spread a generous layer of organic mulch (typically 2-4 inches deep) evenly around your plants, leaving a small space around the plant’s base to prevent rot.
Replenish Annually: Mulch breaks down over time, so it’s essential to replenish it annually or as needed. This maintenance ensures that your indoor plants continue to receive the benefits of mulching.
Avoid Piling Mulch Against Stems: Be careful not to pile mulch directly against the stems or trunks of your plants, as this can lead to moisture retention, rot, and pests. Leave a small gap around the base of each plant.
Monitor Moisture Levels: While mulch helps retain moisture, it’s crucial to monitor soil moisture regularly. Water your plants as needed to maintain adequate hydration.
Tip 2. Water Early & Deeply
Effective Watering Strategy: Watering less frequently but deeply is a highly effective strategy for maintaining the best indoor plants health. It ensures that large indoor plants receive the right amount of moisture to thrive.
Avoid Water Loss: Watering during the heat of the day can result in significant water loss due to evaporation. Understanding the importance of timing helps conserve water and directs it to the plant’s roots.
Morning Watering: Early morning is the optimal time for watering as it provides indoor plant pots with the necessary hydration to endure the hot daytime conditions. This timing is crucial for plant resilience.
Evening Watering: When morning watering isn’t possible, late evening is the next best option. This ensures that plants receive water without the risk of evaporation.
How to Do It:
Slow and Steady: Watering should be done slowly to allow the soil to absorb the moisture effectively. Avoid rushing the process to ensure deep penetration in the plant stand indoor.
Soak-Up Time: After watering, allow the indoor plant pots to soak up any excess water in a bowl for 10-20 minutes. This extra step helps prevent water runoff and ensures thorough hydration.
Monitor Moisture Levels: Regularly check the moisture levels of your plants’ soil. You can use a moisture meter or the “finger test.” Water when the soil feels dry at a depth of 1-2 inches for most tropical indoor plants.
Compacted Soil Indicator: Be aware of signs of fast-drying, compacted soil, such as the soil pulling away from the sides of the pot. When this occurs, it’s time to rehydrate the plant.
Impact of Dry Air: If you have air conditioning, remember that dry indoor air can quickly dry out potted plants, similar to the effects of direct sunlight.
Observing Leaves: Monitor your plants’ leaves closely. Wilting leaves during a heatwave can be a natural defence mechanism to limit sunburn. However, persistent wilting may indicate over or underwatering.
Use a Soil pH Meter: Consider using a soil pH meter, like the SONKIR Soil pH Meter MS02 3-in-1 Soil Moisture/Light/pH Tester, to accurately assess soil moisture and pH levels. These hydroponic supplies can provide valuable insights into your plants’ hydration needs in plant stand indoor.
Tip 3. Shade Indoor Plants
Prevent Sunburn: Indoor plants are susceptible to sunburn, just like humans. Shading low light indoor plants is essential to protect their delicate leaves from the direct and potentially damaging effects of sunlight.
Even succulents and cacti, the best indoor plants that are often known for their resilience, can suffer from sun damage if not acclimated to direct sun. Shading is crucial to prevent harm to these plants as well.
How To Do It
Move Indoors: The simplest way to shade Melbourne indoor plants is to move them further into your house, away from direct sunlight. This provides low light indoor plants with a natural barrier against the sun’s harsh rays.
Use Shade Cloth: Shade cloth, available at hydroponics equipment supplier and garden centres, can be placed over outdoor crops and plants to provide shade. It can also be used in greenhouses to regulate sunlight exposure.
Use Old Sheets: If you don’t have shade cloth, old sheets can be an effective alternative. You can drape them over plants or structures to create shade and protect your low light indoor plants.
Use Temporary Structures: You can use temporary structures such as shade sails, tarps, umbrellas, or portable gazebos to offer shade to heat-stressed garden beds and large indoor plants. These hydroponic supplies structures are flexible and can be relocated as required to protect indoor hanging plants from the intense afternoon sun.
Tip 4. Skip Fertilizer During A Heat Wave
Avoid Added Stress: Do not fertilize stressed indoor plants during a heat wave. Adding extra nutrients can place stress on the indoor plant pots, as they are in survival mode and are not prepared to utilize them effectively.
Prevent New Growth Pressure: Fertilizers promote new growth, but heat-stressed indoor plant pots cannot handle the pressure of producing new leaves. Fertilizing at this time risks overwhelming the plant.
Manage Water Requirements: Fertilizers increase the water requirements of indoor plants to transport nutrients. This can be harmful to a plant already suffering from dry soil due to the heat.
How To Do It
Wait for Cooler Weather: The best practice is to wait until the temperature cools down before resuming your plant’s regular feeding schedule. This ensures that the indoor plant can better utilize the nutrients without added stress.
Plan Ahead: If you have indoor plants that require regular fertilization, plan for heat waves. Apply a heat-stress preventative fertilizer before the hot weather sets in. This type of fertilizer promotes strong root development and increases heat tolerance.
Tip 5. Use Moisture Retaining Soil
Enhanced Moisture Retention: Moisture-retaining soil is essential to ensure that the best indoor plants receive a consistent water supply, especially during hot weather. Cracked, non-absorbent soil in plant stand indoor can lead to inadequate hydration for indoor plants.
How To Do It
Amend Garden Soil: To improve soil moisture retention, amend garden soil with materials like peat or coconut coir. These create loamy soil that can absorb water and release it slowly to plants. Do this in early spring or fall.
Use Water-Absorbing Beads: For container hydroponic gardening, you can use water-absorbing beads or soils that contain them in the plant stand indoor. These products help containers retain moisture, although they may not be suitable for vegetable gardens. They are particularly useful for flower pots and large indoor plants.
Tip 6. Create High Humidity For Indoor Plants
Humidity-Loving Plants: Certain plants, such as bananas, ferns, ginger, hibiscus, and elephant ears, thrive in high-humidity conditions. Maintaining adequate humidity is crucial for their well-being.
How To Do It
Frequent Misting: Mist these moisture-loving indoor plants regularly, using the “flower” or “soft wash” settings on a spray nozzle for a gentle, uniform spray of water.
Increase Watering: In especially breezy conditions, consider misting multiple times a day and providing a second watering in the late afternoon to boost humidity for indoor hanging plants.
Grouping and Shelter: Group container plants together to raise humidity levels. Placing plant stand indoor under the canopy of larger plants or trees can also help maintain a humid microclimate.
Use Pebble Trays: Fill a shallow dish with pebbles, add water, and place your indoor plant pots on top to create a small, humid microclimate. This method provides the necessary humidity for your plants to thrive during the summer.
Tip 7. Don’t Re-Pot During A Heat Wave
Minimize Stress: Re-potting plants during extreme heat can subject them to unnecessary stress, potentially leading to plant damage or even death.
How To Do It
Wait for Cooler Weather: Choose a more suitable time when temperatures are lower to perform re-potting. This approach reduces indoor plant pots stress and ensures a higher chance of successful transplantation.
Tip 8. Don’t Prune Indoor Plants During Heatwave
Prevent Extra Stress: Pruning during a heat wave can add stress to your indoor plants. You don’t always need to assume that wilted or discoloured leaves are beyond recovery.
Waiting until conditions normalize allows the plant to recover, and you can assess which leaves or stems truly need pruning.
How To Do It
Patience: Avoid immediate pruning of stressed leaves and stems during a heat wave. Wait until temperatures return to normal to assess the plant’s condition and prune as needed.
Tip 9. Keep The Insides Cool
Maintain Optimal Temperature: To prevent your best indoor plants from suffering in extreme heat, it’s essential to keep them away from the hottest spots in your home. This includes moving them away from windows or even relocating them to cooler rooms during peak heat.
How To Do It
Cool Your Home: Closing windows during the hottest part of the day and opening them at night can help maintain a cooler indoor environment, benefiting both you and your indoor hanging plants.
Tip 10. Identify Plant Stress
Early Problem Detection: Being able to identify signs of stress in your indoor plants and indoor hanging plants is vital for addressing problems before they worsen.
Common Signs of Plant Stress
- Wilting Leaves: Tropical plants with tender leaves often wilt in response to excessive heat.
- Pale Foliage: Stressed plants may exhibit paler, less vibrant foliage compared to their healthy counterparts.
- Sunburn Symptoms: Sunburn can manifest as rough brown or yellow patches on leaves and stems.
- Leaf and Flower Drop: Stressed plants may shed leaves and flowers, leading to a loss of vitality.
Custom Garden Gallery
Framing the best indoor plants is an innovative and creative way to infuse natural beauty into your living spaces. Transform indoor hanging plants into unique pieces of botanical art.
Art Framers Perth specialize in custom picture framing that extends beyond traditional artwork. You can also preserve and showcase your favourite plants in personalized frames.
Whether it’s a dried bouquet, indoor hanging plants, pressed flowers, or even succulents, custom picture framing services provide a stunning way to bring the outdoors inside.
Beat the Heat and Keep Your Plants Lush
With these expert tips, you can safeguard your garden and Melbourne indoor plants from the harsh effects of a summer heat wave.
Remember to adapt your summer plant care routine to the needs of your specific plant species.
By following these summer plant care tips, you’ll help your plants not only survive but thrive during the hottest days of summer.
Your green friends will thank you for their beauty and vitality.
Are you looking for hydroponics near me? Don’t forget to explore the indoor plants near me options offered by Creative Grow Store. Visit us today and start your hydroponic garden.