Look After Your Thirsty Plants this Summer

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W6 Garden Centre offers advice on watering garden, pot and houseplants

Plants get just as thirsty as us in this heat, so here are a few tips on keeping your garden, pot and houseplants well hydrated:

Outdoor plants

• A long, deep watering every two or three days is far more beneficial than a light, daily water. In hot weather be generous.
• Early morning or late evening is the best time to water, as less will evaporate. Avoid watering when the sun is shining on the garden - droplets on leaves can magnify the sun's rays and scorch them.
• Water at the base of the plant to avoid getting leaves wet.
• Remember that watering washes away naturally-occurring nutrients in the soil, so the more you water, the more you need to fertilise. This is especially true of plants in pots.

Indoor plants

• Check your houseplants every other day. Stick your finger in the soil and judge the moisture levels a couple of centimetres down.
• Know your plants' needs - some need to be kept moist all the time, but others are more forgiving. Give us a shout if you are unsure!
• Again, a deep watering less regularly is better than a light one everyday.
• Don't water in direct sunlight to protect those leaves.

Feed weekly during the Spring and Summer months to replace those washed-away nutrients.

W6 Garden Centre and Cafe is 17 Ravenscourt Avenue, south of Ravenscourt Park. For more information call 020 8563 7112 or email info@w6gc.co.uk.

July 7, 2017