Summer is just around the corner, bringing its own set of unique challenges to anyone with a garden or orchard in East Texas. Preparing your plants for the brutal summer heat is imperative to ensuring a good harvest in the fall. Here are some of our tried-and-true methods of summer preparation to keep your home orchard or garden looking happy and healthy.
Mulch: As summer approaches, rain generally becomes scarcer, and the amount of water evaporating from the soil increases. This means that most of us will have to hand-water more frequently. One easy way to conserve water and time is to apply a generous layer of mulch around the base of trees and garden plants. Remember to leave a few inches around the trunk or stem free of mulch or you can suffocate the tree! Options for mulch include wood chips, leaf litter or rice hulls. We recommend staying away from straw as straw seed germination is likely.
Fertilizer: Spring fertilization is vital for proper recovery from winter dormancy and for stimulation of healthy roots to ensure summer resiliency. We recommend a balanced fertilizer that contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Some of our top picks are MicroLife’s Ocean Harvest 4-2-3 liquid fertilizer, and their multi-purpose 6-2-4 granular fertilizer (both of which are available at our in-store location in Mineola, Texas!) Generally, fertilizing in mid-late spring is a good option as it maximizes absorption and reduces the chance of burning your plant.
Foliar Spray: A good foliar spray can act as not only a fertilizer but also aid in pest and fungal control! It can be especially effective before summer, providing a boost of nutrients, a head start on pest control, and it can even stop blossom end rot (which generally occurs as plants are first setting fruit). We recommend MicroLife’s Super Seaweed foliar spray (also available for in-store purchase) and similar products.
Tree Paint: Increased sun exposure can cause sun scald on small trees. This often results in cracking and peeling of the bark which can leave the tree open to infection, pests and disease. We recommend taking preventative action and painting your orchard trees in the spring to prevent this – especially if you live in an area with high summer solar radiation. Either diluted latex paint (50/50 mix) or tree paint (we recommend IV Organics’ 3-in-1 Plant Guard) can be used and applied with a paintbrush.
Just taking a few simple steps can make a big difference in the heat and drought resiliency of your plants and trees. Try these and let us know which are most effective for you!