Summers are amazing but it does affect the plant as all the moisture from the soil is evaporated. This leaves dry soil behind which has no significant effect on the life of your plant. Plants require moisture in their soil so that they can absorb water and other essential nutrients from the soil and grow efficiently. If there is little to no moisture in the soil, the plants will not be able to consume the basic necessities of life become weak, and then die after some time. Therefore, we will guide you on how to keep the soil moist in summer. Let’s find out.
How To Keep Soil Moist In Summer?
1. Use Mulch
To maintain the moisture in the soil, you can use mulch. It is the easiest way to maintain the temperature of the soil and increase the moisture. To use mulch, add a layer of mulch on top of the soil. this will provide a blanket to the soil and avoid direct contact with the sun. there are various things that can be used as mulch. You can use cardboard, shredded papers, straw, leaves, bark, grass clippings, or hay.
2. Drip Irrigation
If you add a lot of water at once, the soil is not able to absorb all the water. This means that the water will remain on top of the soil and evaporate due to excessive heat in the summers. therefore, adding a lot of water all at once is not the right solution to the problem. However, you can give a lot of water in small proportions. This will give enough time to the soil to absorb the water and lock in the moisture.
If you are not able to water the soil repeatedly on the same day, you can install a drip irrigation system. The system will be easily available in any nearby nursery. The system waters the soil after some intervals of time every day if the time is set properly. This means that you do not have to worry about dry soil anymore.
3. Water Absorbing Materials In The Soil
Another thing that you can do is to add some water-absorbing materials to the soil of your beautiful garden. You can use moss, coconut coir, or compost for this purpose. The material will lock in the moisture that can be helpful when your soil is dry due to heat. It will also help improve the structure of the plant. In other words, you can maintain the soil moisture as well as the structure of your plants in one go.
4. Use Intensive Planting
Another thing you can do to maintain the moisture of the soil is by using intensive planting. In this process, the plants are grown hexagonally instead of in rows. This helps to maximize the space. Also, the plants shade their surrounding soil. the shade on the soil helps maintain the moisture.
5. Use Sheds
Another way of maintaining the soil’s moisture in the summers is to build a shed-like structure. Use trellis for tall plants so that they can be held in one place and do not bend. You can also plant a winter-loving plant around the other plants to help create a shade for the summer plants. The tall plants with the help of the trellis will stand still creating a shade for the surrounding soil. the shade will prevent direct contact between the soil and the sun. As a result, the moisture in the soil will be maintained efficiently. Also, the growth of the plant will not be affected due to the shade.
The Bottom Line
The soil is essential for the life of any plant. You do not want your plants to die because of dry soil. In summers, the majority of the water absorbed by the roots of any plant is evaporated due to excessive heat. This means that the plants will consume more water in summers than in winters to grow efficiently. Therefore, maintaining the soil’s moisture in summer is necessary. We have provided you with some methods that you can try to keep the soil moist in summer. We hope that you find these methods helpful. To find more, go through the above-mentioned article.