Beat The Heat

Summer is fast approaching and while warmer temperatures are welcome in some areas, your garden is not one of them. Summer temperatures can cause an abundance of problems for your plants. Don't fret; we are here to help you beat the heat!

• Heat can dry out your plants in a few hours
• Silicon provides plants with tolerance to abiotic stress
• Plants may close their stomata, interrupting photosynthesis
• Heat increases strong plant odours

Heat stress in plants is caused by the temperature reaching a level that is unbearable for your plants. They will dry out extremely quickly, begin to wilt, the roots will start to die, and eventually, so will the plant. It is hard to bring a plant back after severe heat stress – so your best option is to prevent your growing environment from getting to that state.

Drying out is a severe plant health issue – especially in the warmer months when this can happen in a matter of hours. This occurs more often in non-automated systems where watering/feeding is more sporadic. The best way to combat this is by adding a Silica supplement to your plants' food. Silica helps strengthen your plants' cell walls, making the plant more rigid and more resistant to heat-related stress. There are several silica-based products out there. Our top 3 are Grotek Pro Silicate, Nutrifield Si-Phi, and Emerald Harvest Sturdy Stalk.

How does silica protect against extremes? The short answer is silica helps plants resist abiotic stress. Abiotic stress is caused by environmental factors like heat shock, limited water, and limited nutrient availability (biotic stress is from living things like bugs).

Silica helps plants better absorb, transport, and retain water. This helps plants cope with neglect, drying out between watering, temperature extremes, dry air, low humidity, and droughts. Growers report plants fed silica need less frequent watering, staying hydrated longer. More water is put to work, and less is lost through transpiration.

An added benefit for our house plants is that it helps plants that prefer higher humidity cope better in less humid, dryer environments - yep, the typical indoor-plant home environment. This is ideal in summer when plants have to cope with alternating between being shut up in an unbearably hot house, then suddenly changing to cool when the air con's turned on.

During extreme conditions, a plant is forced to close its stomata to limit water loss, leading to the leaf not cooling itself. When stomata are closed, a plant can't photosynthesize. This causes carbon dioxide levels to accumulate in the leaf (leaves use stomata to 'breathe' and cool themselves, exchanging water for carbon dioxide). Wind and drafts also increase water loss.

Another significant heat-related problem is humidity. Humidity can cause growth to slow down, plant health to drastically deteriorate, and even mould. Fans are your best defence against humidity and high temperatures. You can get speed/temperature-controlled fans that will switch on when the growing environment reaches a set high temperature and then switch off when it reaches a set low temperature. Temperature and Humidity monitors are an essential tool in the summer seasons. The Ibebot Air Comfort monitors your temperature, humidity, and other levels and sends the information directly to your phone – alerting you when there is a problem. Monitoring your growing environment can help you understand when drastic heat changes are happening and hopefully aid you in preventing them.

With the increased temperature and humidity comes an increase in plant odours. A carbon filter can be placed on the outlet of your fan to help filter out unwanted pathogens and odours. We recommend the Mountain Air Carbon Filters as they use a high grade of activated carbon, giving you the best results possible. Another option is the OCD Deo Max Cube. These are the size of a tennis ball but pack a punch. They have a slow-wicking system, which ensures a consistent output of odour neutralising technology – and if you have a scented OCD cube, a pleasant fragrance. They are a cost-effective solution to any odour problem.

If you prepare yourself with the information above, you can beat the heat and enjoy a stress-free summer harvest.