Most garden plants have a tough time when the weather turns hot and dry. They wilt. They droop. And sometimes, they die. But when the rain stops falling, all is not lost. There are 3 steps you can take to help your garden get through dry spells: Build great soil, use mulch, and feed your plants.
Your plants need to dig their roots into something beneficial. Sandy soils let water drain out too quickly for nutrients to be absorbed. Clay soils harden in droughts and don't absorb moisture well. Amending your soil with Miracle-Gro® Moisture Control® Garden Soil helps increase its ability to absorb and hold water. And using Miracle-Gro® Moisture Control® Potting Mix helps your container plants withstand dry spells better, since they don't dry out so quickly.
No matter what kind of soil you have, a 2- or 3-inch layer of mulch, such as Scotts® Nature Scapes®, helps keep moisture from evaporating from the soil. Also, mulch helps keep moisture-stealing weeds out of your garden.
Well-fed plants are better able to withstand the stresses of drought than nutrient-deprived plants can. With Miracle-Gro® Shake 'N Feed Plus Moisture Control All Purpose Continuous Release Plant Food, you can feed your plants for up to 3 months while enabling water to infiltrate the soil more easily.
Of course, all plants need water, and if the rains don't come, the watering is up to you. You can capture what little rain you get with a rain barrel. Or you can use a drip hose that you can weave around the base of your plants to reduce evaporation. Another option making a comeback in dry regions is an olla garden, which uses unglazed pots buried in the soil to allow moisture to seep out to the roots of nearby plants.
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