Is it possible to water plants in hot weather and how to do it correctly?

Extremely hot weather is not only a challenge for people, garden plants and garden crops are also hard times. The incandescent rays of the sun exhaust the seedlings and, in order to help them, gardeners and gardeners strive to water them as often as possible. However, it should be noted: regardless of the fact that most plants are moisture-loving, watering them in the heat is still necessary competently.

There are 3 key irrigation techniques - each with its own pros and cons.

• Drip (subsoil) irrigation - dosed water supply systematically wets the surface and deeper layers of the soil. Suitable for areas exposed to strong winds.
• Direct water supply (surface irrigation) - this method is practiced on land with low absorbency. To create the required supply of water, hollows are made in a circle, which are filled with water. In addition, mulching will allow retaining water, provided that soil absorption is not high. The advantage of this system is the possibility of its application in areas with uneven terrain and for the majority of crops. Possible problems are clogging of the system.
• Sprinkling - with this technique, the air and the ground around the tree are moistened by means of an irrigation system that sprays water, so it looks like rain. Sprinkling is not suitable for all crops - for example, eggplants, tomatoes and cabbage do not like being poured on top of them. Moreover, watering is dangerous on a hot sunny day, since it is unable to quickly soak the dried earth crust (especially on heavy clay soils) and only creates an abundance of burning lens drops on the leaves. However, young shoots and lawn grass will appreciate this irrigation method outside of intense sun - large, powerful jets will not wash out their delicate roots.

Frequent watering is the main mistake of a large number of gardeners. Such a regime leads to the fact that plantations form a shallow root system and lose the ability to extract water from the deep layers of the earth. They will need intensive irrigation. As a result, a solid subsoil layer is formed on the bed, intensive leaching of nutrients occurs, and weeds begin to grow more intensively.

If irrigation is carried out correctly, then the land should be soaked to the level of occurrence of the root system. For annual plants, this is approximately 25 cm. Rare but abundant irrigation favors the development of a deep root system. This means the plant will be more drought tolerant. The exception is root plants (radish, beets, carrots and others), since without the required volume of liquid they begin to crack and coarse.

You also need to remember that:

• light sandy lands in hot dry summers should be irrigated frequently;
• when growing plants in containers, more frequent irrigation is also needed;
• in cold weather, heavy clay soils do not need intensive irrigation.

Irrigation time matters. Remember that evening irrigation on foliage is the way to the formation of downy mildew, spotting and other diseases. In order not to harm the vegetation, it should be watered only at specific hours:

• before 9 o'clock in the morning;
• from 5 to 6 pm;
• from 7 to 8 pm.

Daytime watering is a gross mistake, especially if it falls on hot weather, since a sharp jump in temperature (hot air and cool water) can become a factor in the formation of physiological shock in vegetation. Then it begins to wilt even with abundant irrigation.

• Irrigation of the garden in hot weather is the most important technique in the struggle for the harvest.... Every crop has its own watering needs. However, there are basic rules that apply to everyone.
• In cucumbers and zucchini, the root system is poorly developed. They consume a lot of liquid for the growth of lashes and juicy fruits. Therefore, they are watered with warm water after 1-2 days (and in extreme heat - every day), using 5-10 liters per m2. In hot weather, they like to drop their leaves even with proper moisture in the earth, then they need a light, warm shower during the day.
• Eggplants and peppers are active "vaporizers"... Their root system is located shallowly in the ground, with a lack of moisture, the stems instantly turn brown, the flowers and ovary fly around, the fruits decrease and the yield falls. The irrigation rate per plant is 2-3 liters of water.
• Cabbage is also a big water lover. All of its seedlings must be watered generously until they begin to grow.
• Broccoli and cauliflower are watered 2 times every 7 days during head formation. Early cabbage needs intensive watering in June, late cabbage - at the end of July and in August at the stage of heading. She also loves sprinkling.
• All the roots of the Cruciferous family are in need of high soil moisture throughout the entire growing time: rutabaga, turnip, radish, radish. They have a weak root system, but they are broad-leaved. Therefore, they absorb moisture from the earth hard and waste it wastefully.
• For tomatoes air humidity should not exceed 50%, and soil should not fall below 85%. I must say that the tomato responds well to watering with cool water in hot weather.
• Garlic and onion poorly extract moisture from the ground, but use it sparingly, in this regard, when the summer is rainy, they are not watered at all. In hot and dry weather, they do this every 7-10 days, combining irrigation with fertilization. 1.5 months before harvesting (as a rule, from half of July), onion irrigation is stopped: excess moisture during this period inhibits the ripening of the bulbs.
• Beet not very picky about irrigation. Although she actively spends moisture, she extracts it perfectly. Once every 7 days, only seedlings are watered, seeds - only on the eve of thinning and after fertilization, when there is no rain. The same applies to carrots.
• Potato water only early, planted with sprouted potatoes. Water is poured into the recesses.
• Pumpkin, regardless of its impressive dimensions, can extract moisture for itself on its own, in this regard, it is watered only at the very beginning, before the first hillock. Withered leaves in extreme heat are its defensive reaction.
• Resistant to fluid shortages, heat, sugar drought corn, melon, watermelon and beans (excluding asparagus). They are watered no more than 2-3 times per season, by all means combining irrigation with top dressing.
• It is advisable to irrigate plants in the open field in the evening, and in the greenhouse - until 12 noon, until the great heat sets in. Cucumbers are very picky. They should not be overdried or poured. When they grow in a greenhouse, you can irrigate them both in the morning and in the evening, with only a moderate amount of water.

For irrigation of plants, the evening is more suitable than the morning, since the water will have time to evaporate from the leaves during the night. If it occurs in the morning or in the afternoon, then the risk of crown burns increases. Moreover, in hot weather, water evaporates quickly without saturating the soil. In cloudy weather, you can water the plants throughout the day.

For pears and apple trees the first watering is done in early June, and the second - at the end of flowering, around mid-July. The 3rd watering is done at the beginning of September. If the summer is dry, then to increase the yield, the amount of watering of the trees is increased. Cherries and plums should be watered in approximately the same way as apple trees, only the interval should be at least 10 days.

In addition, you should not forget certain techniques for working with the lawn. When it is very hot outside, under no circumstances irrigate the lawn from above. Drops on the grass create a lens that only intensifies the heat by focusing the sun's rays. This threatens the grass with burns. Hence, remember - in case of heat, the only method of watering is subsoil watering.

It is necessary not to forget about the lawn irrigation time. Watering it is allowed only until 10 am or after 4 pm. The depth of irrigation should not be more than 20 cm. Try to irrigate the lawn grass little by little - then you will not let it get wet. Such irrigation accelerates lawn growth and formation.