Excessive Heat in the Desert
Back-to-back record high temperatures are "shocking" plants, but experts have a few tips for how you can keep your landscapes surviving and thriving.
Posted 6:50 PM, Aug 06, 2024
NORTH LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Is your backyard getting crispy?
If you've got plants that are turning brown and shriveling up — you’re not alone! Record hot temperatures this summer have proven to be too intense for even native plants used to our desert environment.
“We’ve lost a lot of trees to this, like 15 year old trees," Wendy Wilson, General Manager for Garden Farms of Nevada, told Channel 13.
At the Community Garden in North Las Vegas, struggling plants are on full display.
Wilson said it's not just the 110+ temps that bother the plants, it's the relentlessness back-to-back-to-back nature of this year's heat extremes.
“The length of time is what the difference is. Usually they can recover if just one day and a break. But we’ve seen day after day these record-breaking numbers, it is hard on the plants," Wilson said.
Many of us probably have the instinct to increase the amount of water our plants get when we see them drying out, but that may not be the right approach.
“A lot of plants are dying from over-watering," Wilson said.
Here are a few Garden farms tips to heat-protect your garden
Instead of watering more, give your plants bigger drinks less frequently to encourage deeper root systems
Providing nutrients to the soil
Add partial shade or plant taller trees next to shorter plants to build a micro-climate
Prune dead leaves and branches to encourage healthier stalks