How to care for your plants in the extreme heat

You aren't the only ones affected by the rising temperatures. Your plants are also feeling the effects of the heat, and so are nursery owners who have to keep the plants watered to pay the bills.

By: Patricia Burkett | SCNow
Published: June 09, 2008

You aren't the only ones affected by the rising temperatures.

Your plants are also feeling the effects of the heat, and so are nursery owners who have to keep the plants watered to pay the bills.

Those nursery owners say the main component of keeping your plants alive, is having plenty of water.

Experts recommend say with temperatures at or above 100 degrees, you should water your plants at least twice a day, rather than just once.

Tim King and his wife own Forest Lake Greenhouses, and have spent more than 20 years taking care of plants.

They say the extreme heat came a lot earlier than anticipated this year, and they're now having to take drastic watering measures, that they usually don't resort to, until mid to late summer.

"We spend a lot on labor just watering the product and if we're watering twice a day a lot sooner than we normally would, it definitely affects everybody," said Tim King.

King says there are many things besides watering that you can do to protect your plants in the heat.

He suggests that if you are going out of town, that you put your plants in a shaded area.

King also says that larger containers can hold more water, so transferring your plant to a bigger pot, may help extend its life in hot weather.

He also says that if you're plant already looks destroyed by the summer sun, you can possibly bring it back to life by cutting it down 50 percent, adding fertilizer, watering it and transferring it to a bigger container.

More than anything, King says you need to monitor your plants and ensure that you take care of them while taking care of everything else in the extreme heat.