Check the thermometer – summer’s here, and in Arkansas that can mean temperatures upward of 100 degrees. However, that doesn’t mean your outdoor plants have to cook. In fact, your plants can even thrive in the summer months by being indoors and getting the extra sun without the sweltering summer heat.

If you’re looking for indoor plants in Little Rock, office plants in Conway or event landscaping in Hot Springs give our Green Team at Leafscape a call today and we’ll get to work for all your plant rental and maintenance needs!

If you want moderate summers you can go to Minnesota, but the Arkansas sun has a habit of getting almost unbearably hot during the dog days of summer. However, if you have outdoor plants you don’t need to give up on them for the season just yet. Here are a couple of ways you can keep your plants alive during a heat wave:

Water Water Water

This may seem like a straightforward tip, but water is the key to reducing heat damage during the summer. However, the trick is to not only water often, but to make sure you pour enough water to fully penetrate the soil and give your plants a reserve to draw upon if they start to get dehydrated. The deeper you go, the cooler the soil, so making sure the bottom roots have a good amount of water can help your plants survive.

Mulch Better

If you don’t usually use mulch, now’s the time. Organic mulch can help cool down the soil significantly while bringing back some essential nutrients that might be lost through evaporation during a heat wave. If temperatures start to rise, mulch can be a great way to protect and revitalize your plants.

Forget Fertilizing

Along with using more mulch, you should consider forgoing the fertilizer during the hot summer months. While it is tempting to fertilize plants, especially when they’re starting to wane in the heat, fertilizer is only effective when a plant has enough water to support the chemicals. Otherwise, fertilizer can easily burn dry plants and make your problem even worse.

Potted Problems

When it comes to summer, your potted plants are by far the most susceptible to heat. While other plants can distribute heat throughout the surrounding ground, potted plants only have a small amount of space for heat to dissipate and they can quickly become dehydrated. During the summer, always keep your potted plants in the shade and make sure you water them every day.

These tips can help you keep your outdoor plants alive this summer, or you could forgo the work and just get indoor plants instead! At Leafscape we’ll even take care of them for you! At PLANTation we have plants of all shapes and sizes, so if you need kentia palms in Little Rock or peace lilies in Cabot or even corn plants in Benton give us a call at 888-821-5770 today and we’ll get you the plants you need for your office, event or home.