How to care for outdoor potted plants in summer? Analysis of the latest care tips

Today is the Start of Summer, which people usually regard as an important solar term marking the beginning of plants' peak growing season. Its characteristics are a marked rise in temperature, the approaching heat of midsummer, and more thunderstorms.

In view of the above, outdoor potted plant care in summer can follow these points: sun protection, cooling, avoiding waterlogging, and pest and disease control.

1. For plants that are not suited to direct sunlight or are accustomed to diffused light, shade nets with different functions can be used for sun protection.

2. When the temperature is too high, plant transpiration intensifies, and excessive water loss can cause plants to wilt. But if there is too much water and fertilizer, it can also cause leggy growth.

3. Summer has abundant rain, and potted plants need timely drainage, otherwise lack of oxygen in the potting soil will cause the flowers to die.

4. Summer has high temperatures and high humidity, and once ventilation is poor, pests and diseases are very likely to occur.

Penjing differs from potted plants. To highlight the beauty of the trunk and stem of the tree stump, many penjing have most of their roots exposed, and the pots used are also relatively shallow and not good at retaining water, so even a slight mistake can damage the tree body or even kill it.

1. Waterlogged and overly wet

The reason many penjing (especially new stumps) wither and die in summer is mostly excessive watering. Because the owner worries about hot weather, they water anxiously and lose balance; some excess water that cannot be absorbed seeps into the tray, causing the root system to slowly rot and be unable to breathe normally, which kills the penjing.

2. Fertilizing in midsummer

In the high temperatures of midsummer, leaves lose water relatively quickly. Fertilizing at this time will make the concentration of the stump's cell sap lower than that of the external environment, causing plant cell water to flow back into the soil, and the stump dies from water loss due to fertilizer damage. If it is truly necessary, fertilizer must also be applied lightly and frequently to avoid fertilizer water burning the roots.

3. Improper pruning

Deciduous trees generally should not undergo heavy pruning in summer. In addition to heat dissipation through water evaporation, the leaves' evaporative cooling regulation function is extremely important. Once heavy pruning is done, the water in the potting soil cannot evaporate, and the root system suffocates and rots. Pine penjing in particular must not be pruned, unwired, or styled; if the tree body is slightly damaged, pine resin flows out, nutrients are consumed, and in the midsummer season the plant is extremely likely to die.

4. Scorching sun

Even for sun-loving pine penjing, under the blazing summer sun without any shade protection, they will also die! With no shading at all, the amount of water the stump obtains from the soil is far lower than the water lost through transpiration; the leaves turn scorched yellow and curl, the tree body shrinks, and it eventually dies.

5. Pests and diseases

Summer is the season when tree penjing are most susceptible to pest damage, and timely prevention and control are needed. Generally, an appropriate amount of pesticide is sprayed on the leaves and trunk.

6. A careless owner

Watering when they remember, not watering when they do not, sometimes leaving it alone for several days in a row, then quickly replenishing water after finding the leaves wilted, after which the leaves return to normal. This is a reaction of the stump adapting to the environment, but if this continues long term, excessively strong transpiration will ultimately cause the stump to dehydrate and die.

Care of summer-dormant flowers:

Flowers such as clivia (Clivia miniata), tulip (Tulipa), geranium (Pelargonium), narcissus (Narcissus), fuchsia (Fuchsia), freesia (Freesia), calla lily (Zantedeschia), and cyclamen (Cyclamen) are summer-dormant flowers. During dormancy their growth activity is weak, metabolism is low, and energy consumption is small. The main reason is that high temperatures above 30°C inhibit flower growth. The measures that should be taken are:

Place them under a shade shed, stop using quick-acting fertilizer, water less or not at all, and protect them from sun or rain; for some bulbous flowers such as cyclamen, narcissus, and freesia, after the aboveground stems and leaves wither and they enter summer dormancy, dig up the bulbs and place them in a ventilated, dry yet cool place without direct sunlight, covering them with slightly moist coarse sand for storage.