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Checklist: Garden maintenance during Summer
During Summer, a beautiful and healthy garden is our goal: sudden changes in temperature, weather conditions and small negligence can ruin our efforts. Here you can find 8 easy-to-follow tips, to take care of our garden during summer!
1. Mow your garden frequently during summer
Grass grows faster in the summer, but cutting it shorter is counterproductive. We recommend cutting it more frequently and only slightly more than usual, so weeds will not have time to grow and produce seeds. A tip that may seem trivial, but in fact it is not, is to mow the lawn only when it is dry, in order to avoid cutting waste to become a harmful layer that can stifle the grass and promote mushrooms’ proliferation.
It’s your choice if you prefer to do it yourself with a lawn mower or if you prefer a robot mower such as STIGA Autoclip.
2. Water your plants and your lawn
Our garden needs water. If you like to spend time surrounded by plants and flowers, manual watering is the perfect solution, because you can adjust the right amount of water for each plant and flower. If you do not have the time or are on vacation, you can fall back on automatic irrigation systems that can save you money, in addition to time, thanks to specific programming that guarantees not to use more water than necessary.
The best times of the day for watering are dawn and sunset, when the temperature of the air and soil is lower and the evaporation is less.
Try to water the soil slowly and evenly, as this is the only way for water to be absorbed properly and for the plants and flowers to be satisfied. Also avoid spilling water too suddenly on the ground, as you could remove surface soil.
3. The plants also bloom in summer
You can still enjoy nature when summer is full! Summer bloom is not strange at all, summer flowers are amazing and can even be majestic, if they are well maintained.
You could decide to decorate a corner of your garden, or a wall of your home, with climbing plants such as wisteria and honeysuckle, with incredibly odorous hydrangeas, roses or lavenders.
4. Summer size
Summer pruning is also known as "green pruning", it is used to limit excessive plant growth, to remove internal discards and dead branches, and to concentrate the sap to the fruits so that they grow larger.
Summer is the best time to perform such an intervention, because the vegetative development is at its highest and this promotes not only the healing of the plant, but also the fact that its regrowth is completed before the winter rest.
Concerning the ornamental plants, the size presents a more aesthetic objective, because these reach their apogee during this period of the year. Only be satisfied with a light size, so the flowering will be more intense and the plant will not grow in excess. To prune trees, choose the right tool, depending on how big the branches are: take a look at STIGA pruner chainsaws and Multi-Tools.
The period between June and July is best for brightening climbing plants like wisteria, roses and honeysuckle. Similarly for fruit trees (apple, kiwi, plum), try to cut the smaller branches inside the crown so that it is sunnier. In this way, the fruits will have more light, they will be more colorful and will have more taste. Have you ever noticed that apples are redder on the sun's side?
5. Beware of parasites
Always examine your plants and flowers carefully. During the hot season, fruit trees such as plum and peach trees are likely to be invaded by a fungus that causes a disease called monilia. If you notice dry leaves and branches, you should react quickly. Cut and remove the damaged parts to prevent the whole tree from perishing.
6. Fight against weeds
Summer is the season when wild grasses proliferate (and with them, pains resulting from their uprooting). Do not give up, because they grow fast and anywhere. The herbs must be torn off with their roots, so you will have to use a hoe and push it deep into the ground to pull them off completely and remove them.
7. Potted plants
If you have potted plants, be careful that they are never in the sun and place them in a shady area, so they are not burned. Pay attention to the choice of the pot itself: if it is plastic or dark, the surface soil may overheat and the roots may suffer and then dry out.
Check your potted plants frequently, to prevent the surface soil from reaching the level of drought that will make watering inefficient.
8. Enjoy your garden!
Once you have finished the maintenance of your garden, well enjoy it!
It's your creation, it's where you spend your moments of relaxation and carelessness. The purpose of a garden is to enjoy it, to play with your children or your dog, to invite friends and family. After all this hard work, all the time you have spent maintaining and beautifying it, abandon yourself in your green corner and revel in the results of your work.
