Long, really hot spells like the one we experienced earlier this month are not that uncommon during summers here in the central San Joaquin Valley. Every two to three years we suffer through 10 successive days or more of temperatures above 100 degrees.
Take a few minutes in your garden now to evaluate the damage cause by the recent excessive heat. Finding out why some plants died and some plants survived can help us make better plant choices and landscaping decisions in the future.
The first realization you’ll have is just how much water it takes to keep plants alive and healthy during a heat wave. Some plants are more vulnerable to heat and drought stress; container plants, late-season or new transplants, puny plants that should never have been purchased, plants that are in full sun all day with no afternoon shade, and plants that are unsuitable for our arid, hot climate required daily irrigation when temperatures reached 105 or above. Sunny lawns needed nearly double the usual amount of irrigation in early August to prevent browning.
Even on existing plants that did not die, new buds were stunted and deformed or flowers dropped prematurely, leaving the garden bare of color. You’ll see that the leaves and flowers of certain types of plants, those that grow from underground tubers or corms that can store water, held color and shape better than most; these include iris, alstromoeria, calla lilies and cannas.
Plants with mature, well-established root systems that were planted in well-draining, well-amended soil did fairly well in the heat. The heavy clay soil that is found throughout the Valley does not drain well and dries out rock hard if not consistently irrigated. We also have areas of sandy soil which do not hold water. Plants’ roots do not spread well in either type of soil. Check the soil type in spots in your garden where plants died or fried and plan on amending the soil in those spots with copious amounts of humus or compost before replanting.
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