Too Hot To Plant

Brilliant red Rhodophiala phycelloides brightening up some shade.

Orchid's long-lasting bloom stalk brightens up shade for summer into fall months.

Long draping branches of Begonia boliviensis 'San Francisco' (pink) and Begonia boliviensis 'Santa Cruz' (red) should be elevated for best viewing.

Begonia 'Mistral Pink' makes an attractive clump of foliage.

Blue-highlighted white blooms of African violet.

Fragrant white heliotrope is perfect right by my door.

Yellow epidendrum.

Snowbush - Breynia disticha - resprouts color after trimming long upright branches.

I moved my epiphyllums from all-day sun and too little water where they were struggling to next to my happier bromeliads where they'll get morning's bright light and afternoon's bright shade, and where they're easier to water and fertilize.

Repotted begonia resprouting from the center, so now I'll clip off the lanky branches, clip them into separate pieces, and root them all for more baby plants to share.

Brugsmania prunings now rooting: 3 nodes below the soil, and 3 nodes above the soil, with 2 or three smaller leaves at tips to continue photosynthesis until roots develop and I can transplant each into its own pot.

Brugsmania trimmed down after bloom finishes from 10 feet tall to 4 feet tall. Pruning could be all the way down to the bottom-most new growth emerging.

Jimson weed - Datura stramonium - ripened seed pod opening to spew its seeds.

My potting-up table facing northwest that gets only a bit of direct sun in the late afternoon.

     It’s just too hot to plant, for both me as a person and also for the plants.  Anything over 85 degrees is too much.  For me, it’s my comfort-level cut-off point, but for the plants it bodes a struggle-to-survive issue.  Even if you enjoy working outdoors in the warmth, the plants have more important concerns like reconnecting and extending their roots into the new soil so they can absorb water and nutrients – before they keel over due to the heat even if their rootballs are kept sufficiently moistened.  For a week or two, they’re still depending on their original root systems and subject to whatever new bright sun and heat may characterize their new homes, differing from their coddling shade and everyday watering at the nursery.  This more-than-85-degree weather makes that process difficult.  So, if you can, put off the planting tasks until temperatures lower.  If you can’t put it off, then be very solicitous to prepare soil,  water well, and shelter from late-afternoon direct sun.
 
     So, what to do in the garden, instead of planting? 
 
Keep Harvesting
Continue to keep vine vegetables (especially beans, cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes) picked, whether or not you will use the harvest that day. If many fruits are allowed to overmature on the plant, production will slow and then cease because the plant “thinks” it’s accomplished its reproductive job.
 
Reinvigorate Veggies
Prune vegetable plants of their leaves that have become ragged from age, disease, or insect attacks. Then water plants well. Healthy new leaves will appear, and blossoms once the temperatures go below 85 degrees so fruit set will begin again. This is especially the case with beans, cucumbers, and squash.
 
Encourage New Strawberry Plants
Allow strawberries to root their runners after they've set their last crop. Strong new plants will be ready to transplant by October or November, which is the best time to establish new plants so plants bear well next Spring.
 
Last Fertilizing of Summer Crops
Fertilize tasseling corn and other vegetables that are setting fruit – including beans, cucumbers, eggplants, tomatoes, squash -- for increased yields. Plants appreciate this extra boost in food to use immediately in maturing their fruits. But during our extra-hot weather, be sure to water the plants well before incorporating fertilizer so it won't "burn" the roots.
 
Propagate Cuttings

• Trim and propagate some of the maturing stem cuttings of plants like brugsmania and begonia and woody herbs that are actively growing through the summer.  Prime cuttings are those that are sturdy and partly but not fully mature.  Not too tender, and not too hard.  For most plants, the best place to make the cutting is where the stem color is transitioning between the new green foliage and the tannish-brown firmer wood.
• See my 10/29/16 Propagating Begonias From Cuttings blog for specific steps to take.

 
Wait to Start Cool-Season Seeds
One thing to NOT do while it’s still so hot – consistently over 85 degrees – is to start seeds.  Hold off on starting both your first cool-season seeds and also your last crops of warm-season seeds, unless you can accomplish the task indoors in temperatures that are much lower than that.  If you tried to start them outdoors in the heat, the natural hormones in many types of seeds will result in unsuccessful germination because they’re programmed to not germinate until temperatures are more desirable.  Starting them indoors in cooler temperatures is a possibility you may want to pursue.
 
For more tasks to consider, see August Tips