Your Plant Might Not Be Thirsty. It Might Just Be Hot.
Let me say the thing nobody wants to hear. Your plant might not be thirsty. It might just be hot.
Those droopy afternoon leaves send us all running for the hose, and sometimes that extra water is the exact thing making it worse. Summer in Florida has a way of tricking us into loving our plants to death.
In my latest video I go through five summer mistakes that are quietly killing gardens in this heat, and how to fix every single one. Some of them look like kindness. That is what makes them sneaky.
Watch: 5 Summer Mistakes Killing Your Garden (And How to Fix Them)
From the comments
One viewer shared that when a heat wave rolls in, she throws bed sheets over her plants. Listen. It is not fancy, but it works in a pinch. Shade is shade. If you want something sturdier than the guest linens, shade cloth over a Vego cover does the same job and your plants will not be wearing your bedding.
Grab my Vego covers and beds here: Vego Garden. Code ROOTEDINJS10OFF takes $10 off sitewide.
The short version
Summer gardening down here is less about doing more and more about doing less, on purpose. Before you water, check the soil with your finger, not your feelings. Before you rip out a struggling plant, watch the video and see if it is on the list of things that just need shade and patience.
Then come back and confess in the comments. Which mistake were you making? I made at least two of them myself before I learned better, and I teach this stuff.
You're not a real gardener until you've lost a few. Keep growing.
— Toni