How to Help Your Garden Get Through the Heat
2023-08-16
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Record-breaking heat is affecting plants in many places around the world.
2But gardening expert Jessica Damiano says selecting the right plants and a little care could save them.
3Damiano wrote recently that her tomato plants have not developed much in the past few weeks, but her flower garden is doing very well.
4Despite temperatures over 37 degrees Celsius in the New York area, Damiano said she has watered her flower garden just two times this summer.
5Damiano says that in extreme heat, and when that heat is dry, soil moisture evaporates quickly.
6Plants will turn to their own limited moisture storage when they need water.
7This requires them to use energy toward cooling and using water.
8This energy should be spent on growth, flowering, fruiting and reproducing.
9The stress often completely weakens the plant.
10When plants are native to an area, they naturally develop deep, large root systems.
11These systems permit the plants to reach distant sources of moisture when the nearby area dries out.
12Many foreign plants, including most plants that live for just one year, have root systems that are not deep.
13This means they must depend on the top few centimeters of soil for all of their water needs.
14When it dries up, so do they.
15To save water, money, and effort, Damiano suggests researching which plants are native to your area.
16Some native plants for Damiano's New York area include yearly returning plants like bee balm, black-eyed Susan, and purple coneflower.
17But she also has some non-native plants that tolerate both the heat and dry weather.
18She keeps yearly returning plants, or perennials, in her beds, and plants that last one growing season, or annuals, in containers.
19Damiano says the flowering plant "Bounce" impatiens live up to their name in her containers.
20They bounce back from being weakened by a hot and dry day after being watered.
21Plants like sedums, or stonecrop, are highly tolerant to dry, hot weather.
22This is because their leaves store moisture and release it as the plants need it.
23Other plants that can deal with heat include beardtongue, catmint, floss flower, lavender, and moss rose.
24When planting, Damiano says she always dusts root balls with fungi called mycorrhizae.
25It helps grow roots and helps plants deal with severe heat.
26She also treats her plants once a month with two products: a seaweed-containing fish mixture and a vitamin-hormone-kelp product.
27Seaweed and kelp are plants that grow in water.
28They have been shown to help other plants in difficult environments.
29These additions also help plants grow quickly after dividing and transplanting.
30Finally, Damiano says the last addition is a good amount of mulch on top.
31Mulch not only keeps things looking clean, but it also helps to keep soil moisture and soil temperatures even.
32And it keeps unwanted plants from growing.
33Mulch can mean the difference between plant life and death when it gets hot.
34I'm Gregory Stachel.
1Record-breaking heat is affecting plants in many places around the world. But gardening expert Jessica Damiano says selecting the right plants and a little care could save them. 2Damiano wrote recently that her tomato plants have not developed much in the past few weeks, but her flower garden is doing very well. Despite temperatures over 37 degrees Celsius in the New York area, Damiano said she has watered her flower garden just two times this summer. 3Choosing heat-tolerant plants 4Damiano says that in extreme heat, and when that heat is dry, soil moisture evaporates quickly. Plants will turn to their own limited moisture storage when they need water. This requires them to use energy toward cooling and using water. This energy should be spent on growth, flowering, fruiting and reproducing. The stress often completely weakens the plant. 5When plants are native to an area, they naturally develop deep, large root systems. These systems permit the plants to reach distant sources of moisture when the nearby area dries out. 6Many foreign plants, including most plants that live for just one year, have root systems that are not deep. This means they must depend on the top few centimeters of soil for all of their water needs. When it dries up, so do they. 7To save water, money, and effort, Damiano suggests researching which plants are native to your area. Some native plants for Damiano's New York area include yearly returning plants like bee balm, black-eyed Susan, and purple coneflower. 8But she also has some non-native plants that tolerate both the heat and dry weather. She keeps yearly returning plants, or perennials, in her beds, and plants that last one growing season, or annuals, in containers. 9Damiano says the flowering plant "Bounce" impatiens live up to their name in her containers. They bounce back from being weakened by a hot and dry day after being watered. 10Plants like sedums, or stonecrop, are highly tolerant to dry, hot weather. This is because their leaves store moisture and release it as the plants need it. Other plants that can deal with heat include beardtongue, catmint, floss flower, lavender, and moss rose. 11Planting advice 12When planting, Damiano says she always dusts root balls with fungi called mycorrhizae. It helps grow roots and helps plants deal with severe heat. She also treats her plants once a month with two products: a seaweed-containing fish mixture and a vitamin-hormone-kelp product. 13Seaweed and kelp are plants that grow in water. They have been shown to help other plants in difficult environments. These additions also help plants grow quickly after dividing and transplanting. 14Finally, Damiano says the last addition is a good amount of mulch on top. Mulch not only keeps things looking clean, but it also helps to keep soil moisture and soil temperatures even. And it keeps unwanted plants from growing. Mulch can mean the difference between plant life and death when it gets hot. 15I'm Gregory Stachel. 16Jessica Damiano reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 17__________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19garden - n. an area of ground where plants (such as flowers or vegetables) are grown 20moisture - n. a small amount of a liquid (such as water) that makes something wet or moist 21tolerate - v. to experience (something harmful or unpleasant) without being harmed 22bounce back - phr. v. to return quickly to a normal condition after a difficult situation or event 23fungus - n. any one of a group of living things (such as molds, mushrooms, or yeasts) that often look like plants but have no flowers and that live on dead or decaying things 24mulch - n. a material (such as straw, leaves, or small pieces of wood) that is spread over the ground in a garden to protect the plants or help them grow and to stop weeds from growing 25__________________________________________________ 26What do you think of this story? 27We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 28Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.