How to get your houseplants through a heatwave

If you're looking nervously at the weather forecasts for the next few days, join the club. Air conditioning is a rarity in UK homes, so finding relief from extreme high temperatures for ourselves and our plants is not going to be easy. 

Climate change means that we are likely to be facing more and more extreme weather events, so what can you do to protect your plants from potential damage?

• Your number one concern is preventing leaf damage from the sun. Move plants further away from windows to prevent this, especially between midday and mid afternoon.

• For your own benefit, shutting curtains and blinds during the day will help keep rooms cooler, and it really won't hurt your plants over a day or two. You can turn on some growlights if you have them. 

• Heat stress usually shows up with symptoms of wilting, buds and flowers falling prematurely, and leaves curling at the edges or curling up. Some leaves such as Oxalis will close up as they usually do at night.

• Soil will lose a lot of moisture in extreme heat, so check all your plants' substrates: water early morning if you can before it heats up. 

• Terrariums can roast, so move them to your coolest room if they are portable, and consider opening the doors or lids for a few hours if you can to offer some air circulation, making sure to damp them down at the same time. 

• Remember to feed plants! Many will be growing fast in the heat, and will need nutrients. 

• Don't forget to take care of yourself. The best way to cool off without AC I've found is sticking your feet in a basin of cold water. It really works!

For more on helping your houseplants weather a heatwave, check out On The Ledge podcast episode 146.

This blogpost was taken from The Plant Ledger, my email newsletter about the houseplant scene. Subscribe here and get my free in-depth guide to fungus gnats.