MAYFLOWER | 28.06.2010
In the summer we are used to filling our terraces with guests for a starlit lunch.
Tots volem tenir les beautiful and flowering plants to meet friends and to keep them company when we go out to get some fresh air...
The plants, in these hot days, need our daily attention.
- Reg :: If you have auto reg (almost essential if you have a large terrace or if you go on holiday for many days), the only thing you have to do is to increase the amount of water a little and water with a watering can or sprinkler if you see that the soil is very dry. If not, we recommend that you water more and in the morning, well in the morning, so that when the sun is strong, the plants and roots are well hydrated. If you cannot, water in the evening so that the plant recovers its hydration during the night. Don't soak the plants with too much water and don't leave dishes with water under their heads, as the roots can rot and attract mosquitoes! Bear in mind that if the test tubes are made of mud, the substrate dries out faster than in plastic ones, and don't forget to have a good drainage at each test tube.
Marxes de vacances? With outdoor plants, install a self-watering system or ask a friend to water them for you! If you can, put them all together, they will keep each other company, you will avoid an excessive loss of hydration and they will also keep each other in the shade. Watering systems using communal cups, clay receptacles, hydrating gels or the traditional water bladder or the bath with water work very well for indoor plants or if you only go out for a few days, but in general they are unreliable systems.
Leave the indoor plants all together, in a well-lit and well-ventilated place. If you have a lot of them, leave them well watered on the last day and in plastic pots with a bucket of clay or volcanic earth and water in half the proportion, so that the roots do not touch the water directly and receive humidity. It also helps if you leave water cassettes nearby, as it evaporates in the heat and the plants will be hydrated without needing to be watered.
- Adob :: Plants need water all year round. They need more than just water to grow! Moreover, a plant without deficiencies is stronger against pests and diseases. If you use a slow release marinade, you don't have to worry about it until late afternoon; if not, in the summer you will have to marinate every fifteen days and don't marinate if August is very hot. An organic pickle, especially if it is a flowering plant, can help you to have a long and powerful flowering. It is important that you always use the recommended dosage.
- Plagues :: In the summer, all the cuckoos are alive! The pugons, the "cochineal", the white fly... All kinds of little bugs come to settle and feed on our balcony. Look and check the flowers every day, especially at the back and in hidden places... When you see a suspicious flower, cut it out and come to the florist's and we will advise you. The more specific the product is, the more effective it will be. If you don't like chemical products, or if your plants are for food or other domestic uses, there are also "ecological" phytosanitary products.
- Altres cures :: Make sure that the stems are free of dirt and soil, clean the soil and add a layer of "perlete" or scurf at the top, which will help them not to lose so much humidity. If you have flowering plants, remove the dead flowers, not only for aesthetic reasons, the plant will breathe better and you will help it to continue flowering.
- Seasonal :: It is time to have a petit hort at home. Tomatoes, peppers, aromatic plants, etc. will help you with the delicacies of your kitchen... Remember to change these plants in large containers or use "d' structures".urban garden"with fun aesthetics, good dimensions and great functionality.
And wrap it with lantanes, geranis "anti mosquito", lycopersicum, gessamí d'estiu, clavell moro or tagete...
A last piece of advice for a summer night's sleep on the terrace.... Place some special potted plants or geraniums close to the table, you will naturally prevent mosquitoes from biting you and you will turn your terrace into a separate world....
