Midsummer is one of the most difficult times when it comes to caring for container plants. Hot weather makes watering pots full of flowers and other ornamentals a daily chore. Forget just once, and it’s curtains. The heat is so unforgiving you might as well just start over. And all the extra watering that you have to do only increases the leaching of nutrients out of the potting soil. Even with proper watering, the plants can look malnourished.

Here are some ways to simplify summer container care:

• POT-UP. Transplanting into larger containers will increase rooting space and provide a larger reservoir for moisture. Use Bayer Advanced™ All-In-One Potting Mix Potting Mix (product discontinued), and you’ll simplify container gardening even more. It’s three products in one:
• Insect Protection – protects from plant-damaging insects for up to four months.
• Premium fertilizer – starts feeding instantly and keeps feeding up to nine months.
• Moisture control – ensures plants get the right amount of water.
• INSTALL DRIP IRRIGATION. Nurseries and garden centers sell drip kits specifically designed for containers. Connect the system to an automatic controller, and you can even water while on vacation.
• GROUP CONTAINERS. Groupings not only look better, they allow the pots to shade each other, decreasing the amount of sun that hits their sides, thus reducing evaporation.
• MOVE POTS TO COOLER LOCATIONS. Placing pots where they get a little shade during the hottest part of the day usually won’t reduce their performance, but it will cool them and reduce water needs. Moving containers off or away from hot pavement will also help.
• PLACE CATCH TRAYS UNDERNEATH. This will allow excess water to be absorbed back into the pot through the drainage holes. Just make sure the water doesn’t stand too long. Overly wet soil could promote root disease.
• FERTILIZE REGULARLY. Replace nutrients with regular applications of Bayer Advanced™ Triple Action All Purpose Plant Food Granules.

When you do water, make sure the root ball is thoroughly wet. That may take several passes with the hose.

With summer heat continuing to bare down on lawns and gardens this month, it’s a good time to fine-tune watering practices and double check all irrigation equipment to make sure it’s operating properly.

First, make sure you’re watering deeply and efficiently. After watering, probe the soil with a stiff wire or rod. It will move easily through wet soil and stop when it hits dry. You can also check water penetration by digging around with a shovel. Lawns should be watered to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. Most annuals, perennials and vegetables should be watered at least 12 to 18 inches deep. Water shrubs to a depth 18 to 36 inches, depending on how tall they are. Trees should be watered to a depth of at least 3 to 4 feet. Deep watering leads to deep roots and plants that can better withstand heat and drought.

Next, check your irrigation equipment. If you have an automatic sprinkler system, watch it run. If necessary, adjust spray patterns and fix broken sprinklers. Also check drip lines for clogged emitters.

Repot root-bound container plants. Lastly, refresh mulches, making sure you’ve got a good 2 to 3 inches around trees and shrubs.

Properly identifying and controlling diseases in your lawn can be one of the more challenging aspects of lawn care. Left alone, diseases like brown patch or dollar spot can quickly turn beautiful grass into a splotchy mess, or worse. Without correct identification, a disease will likely be difficult to control. Bayer Advanced experts offer help controlling lawn diseases in our online resource articles. For additional information on identifying and controlling specific diseases consult the following resources.

Controlling Lawn Diseases
Bayer Advanced™ Fungus Control for Lawns Granules
Disease Problem Solvers