We have all kinds of plants in containers on our deck. Every day here it is 90+ degrees and most of these plants are wilting very bad and some may be dying.
I water often but am wondering if there is a better way to keep these alive? Shade would help but I don't have a way to shade these plants. I think it is just too hot sitting there in the sun.
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hendi_alex
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 3604
- Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2008 7:58 am
- Location: Central Sand Hills South Carolina
My deck plants generally needs to be watered twice per day on the over 90 degree days. In the next year or two, I'm going to set up a drip irrigation system. Will put an emitter in each pot and will put the whole thing on a timer to cycle on for a few minutes three or four times per day. Other than that, rigging some self watering system will work. You can buy self watering pots, but they are pretty ugly and expensive. I would think that a person could run a wick from the middle of a pot, out the drain hole, and into a bottom tray filled with water. It would seem to me that the water would wick from the tray and into the potted plant. I've not tried that idea yet, but don't see why it would not work.
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GitarooGarden
- Full Member
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2009 5:57 pm
- Location: Southern Virginia
Only problem with installing a wicking system is that you'd have to repot your entire plant. I think an irrigation system like Alex was talking about would be much easier to add onto established potted plants, and seems like a good idea in your situation. Diane's suggestion to do some bottom-watering with a pan of water, essentially using the soil as the "wick", seems promising, too. Mosquitos are so bad here, though, that I don't think I would try that idea personally.
With an irrigation system, you can keep your water source closed off to the outside. No mosquitos!
As for your shade problem, you said your plants are on a deck. If you have some kind of deck railing, it seems to me that with a few pieces of wood and some shade cloth, you could rig up a screen that, with some strategic placement of your plants, might be able to give them some relief for at least part of the day. Maybe a few tall bamboo stakes placed in your containers on the ends, with shade cloth draped over the top shielding your plants in the middle from the intense midday sun.
Just some thoughts! Good luck in the sun
With an irrigation system, you can keep your water source closed off to the outside. No mosquitos!
As for your shade problem, you said your plants are on a deck. If you have some kind of deck railing, it seems to me that with a few pieces of wood and some shade cloth, you could rig up a screen that, with some strategic placement of your plants, might be able to give them some relief for at least part of the day. Maybe a few tall bamboo stakes placed in your containers on the ends, with shade cloth draped over the top shielding your plants in the middle from the intense midday sun.
Just some thoughts! Good luck in the sun