The best time to water plants in July and August to 'keep annuals flowering throughout the summer'
Watering plants in the mornings and evenings boosts hydration
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Several factors determine the blooming phase of plants, but there are some ways to encourage a longer flowering period.
During the summer, TikTok gardening enthusiast @officialabovethedirt recommends tweaking the frequency of your watering for more flowers.
"So you bought some beautiful annuals this spring, and as summer gets hot, let’s talk about how we keep those blooms thriving," the gardener said in a recent clip.
"First thing’s first, these bad boys need water. Every annual that you’ve planted is going to need to be watered every single day.
Eggshells could provide flowers with a much-needed calcium boostGETTY"As it gets really hot into July and August, you’re going to need water twice a day."
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) encourages watering plants in the morning, as this is when the sun comes up and plants become thirsty.
"The foliage and soil surface is also likely to stay drier for longer than evening watering, discouraging slugs, snails and mildew diseases," adds the RHS.
Additional watering in the evenings is only advised during hot spells.
Plants in the shade may not necessarily need watering every night, as there’s less chance of the water evaporating.
What's more, experts at the RHS note that plants don’t necessarily need more water just because the surface of the soil or compost is dry.
To determine whether your plants are dehydrated, push your finger into the soil up to the knuckle. If the soil feels dry at the tip of the finger it's time to water, if it's still damp, then it can be left.
Gardeners are advised to apply water to the base of plants where it is able to soak down to the roots.
According to the RHS, rainfall, hours of sunshine, temperature, wind and humidity, all affect the rate of water use.
"Generally speaking, plants use more water in the warmer summer months and less in the cooler winter months," the experts note.
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Monty Don lists three flowers to ‘cut to the ground’ in July for ‘repeat flowering in a couple of months’GETTY"They will also use more in hot, sunny and windy weather. And watering will need to be more frequent during prolonged dry spells with no decent rain (light showers are of little use to plants as the water simply evaporates or only wets the very surface of the soil where there are few roots)"
The best lighting conditions for annuals
Lighting requirements differ greatly from one plant to the next, so it's worth looking into the needs of each one you own.
"This beautiful fuchsia for example, actually needs a bit of shade, so it can handle morning sun - which is much softer sunlight - whereas marigold can handle quite a bit of sun," explains @officialabovethedirt.
"You want to deadhead your flowers too," added the gardeners. "As those blooms fall off, you can just pop them off really easily and so a new bloom can grow in."