Southern Manitoba has been experiencing some unpredictable weather recently and many of us have seen our floral friends suffer.
Experienced gardener Shae Doherty of Our Farm Greenhouse recently shared some timely gardening tips.
“At the beginning of spring, we had very little sunshine and a lot of rain, and what a lot of people did was one of two things: they hung their pots where it was getting a lot of rain, or they put them right under the eaves gutter where it didn't get any rain. But they said it was raining so it was OK. And on top of everything, we're in a heatwave right now, so they need to check their pots.”
He went on to give us some easy tips to try with your potted plants.
“Feel it with your finger,” Dougherty instructed, “Put your finger into the soil and see if it's damp. If it's soaking wet it's not good, but bone dry or bone dry is also not good. If it's bone dry, fill a wheelbarrow with water and put a hanging basket or pot in it if you can. An hour or so should be enough and the soil should be moist enough.”
Timing of watering is crucial to plant health, says Dougherty, with evening being the ideal time so plants stay moist throughout the night and aren't as susceptible to evaporation as they would be if they were watered earlier.
Humidity can also be an issue, leading to problems like powdery mildew on cucumbers and late blight on tomatoes. Doherty recommended misting the leaves weekly with a mixture of baking soda and water to prevent fungal growth.
Some plants tolerate the heat better than others: Vinca, balsam, cosmos and zinnias thrive in hot weather, while peas and lettuce struggle, he stressed.
“People are constantly messaging us with pictures and stuff and saying, 'Look what my plants are doing. Oh, I must be a terrible gardener.' The weather is just adding to it. Not people, just the weather.”
