Heat Can Be Good or Bad for Your Garden
2024-07-30
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1Summer brings very high temperatures to many parts of the United States.
2That can be both good news and bad news for gardens and gardeners.
3Jessica Damiano writes about gardening for the Associated Press.
4She keeps a garden in New York, where summer temperatures can reach 32 degrees Celsius.
5Recently, Damiano repeated a difficult truth for gardeners: weather has a lot to do with success, but it is out of our control.
6There are measures that plant lovers can take to ease the effects of hot summer weather.
7One measure is to spread a thick layer of mulch over plant roots.
8This can help keep plant roots cool and will preserve water, or moisture, in the soil.
9When watering plants, use a lot of water and let it soak deep into the ground.
10You can water your garden less often if you provide a few deep soaks regularly.
11Light watering causes roots to spread near the surface of the soil.
12If there is too much sun for young plants, don't be afraid to give them shade.
13Damiano said she has been known to place an umbrella on the ground to protect tender plants from the sun.
14Heat is not all bad for a garden.
15Some plants love heat. Damiano grows a kind of tomato called Big Boy.
16The plant, she says, has grown quickly in the summer heat.
17Zucchini, a form of squash, also does well.
18Heat can also keep harmful insects away.
19Cabbage, onion and corn maggots prefer cooler weather and struggle in the heat.
20So do cutworms, which can be especially destructive to gardens.
21Damiano says some of her perennial flowering plants have bloomed two weeks earlier than usual.
22For this reason, she decided to add late-blooming plants to her garden to ensure a good crop of flowers.
23She reported that her hydrangea plants have never looked better.
24She has 12 of them, and they are blooming well.
25However, Damiano said that might not be the result of hot weather this summer.
26Instead, unusually heavy rains late last summer and fall may have helped buds to form.
27A smaller number of those buds were damaged by the mild winter weather. The result is a lot of blooms.
28Some plants suffer in the heat, including impatiens.
29The small flowers are not doing well.
30But what Damiano dislikes are the creatures that become more active and numerous when temperatures rise.
31Mosquitos are most active at sunrise and sunset, but they can bite at any time.
32Although heat theoretically slows their activity, hot conditions can help mosquitoes spread.
33Damiano advises to prevent water from collecting in places around the garden or to put something called Bti in wet areas where mosquitos might lay eggs.
34Bti is a kind of bacteria that produces a substance poisonous to young mosquitos and a few other flying insects.
35It is natural, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says it is safe for people and most other insects and animals as well.
36Ticks present another problem.
37The creatures bite people and spread disease. Cold weather kills them, but they do well in hot weather.
38Normally found in the eastern U.S. and on the Pacific coast, ticks appear to be spreading to new areas.
39The EPA even said, "Climate change has contributed to the expanded range of ticks."
40Wearing long sleeves and pants and using special chemicals to keep ticks away can help protect against their bites.
41Earwigs also like heat and humidity.
42They can make holes in plant leaves, Damiano said. But the "pincher bugs" also eat aphids, which are enemies of the garden. So are thrips and spider mites.
43In addition to insects, heat and humidity are good conditions for slugs.
44These creatures have soft slimy bodies, and they eat plants.
45Luckily, there are easy ways to control these garden problems.
46One is to spray soapy water onto soft-bodied insects like aphids, spider mites, thrips and whiteflies.
47As for slugs, salt will kill them but is not good for garden soil.
48They do not like sharp surfaces, however, so adding crushed eggshells can be an effective control method.
49The eggshells break down and nourish the plants over time.
50I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1Summer brings very high temperatures to many parts of the United States. That can be both good news and bad news for gardens and gardeners. 2Jessica Damiano writes about gardening for the Associated Press. She keeps a garden in New York, where summer temperatures can reach 32 degrees Celsius. 3Recently, Damiano repeated a difficult truth for gardeners: weather has a lot to do with success, but it is out of our control. 4There are measures that plant lovers can take to ease the effects of hot summer weather. One measure is to spread a thick layer of mulch over plant roots. This can help keep plant roots cool and will preserve water, or moisture, in the soil. When watering plants, use a lot of water and let it soak deep into the ground. You can water your garden less often if you provide a few deep soaks regularly. Light watering causes roots to spread near the surface of the soil. 5If there is too much sun for young plants, don't be afraid to give them shade. Damiano said she has been known to place an umbrella on the ground to protect tender plants from the sun. 6The good news about heat 7Heat is not all bad for a garden. Some plants love heat. Damiano grows a kind of tomato called Big Boy. The plant, she says, has grown quickly in the summer heat. Zucchini, a form of squash, also does well. 8Heat can also keep harmful insects away. Cabbage, onion and corn maggots prefer cooler weather and struggle in the heat. So do cutworms, which can be especially destructive to gardens. 9Damiano says some of her perennial flowering plants have bloomed two weeks earlier than usual. For this reason, she decided to add late-blooming plants to her garden to ensure a good crop of flowers. 10She reported that her hydrangea plants have never looked better. She has 12 of them, and they are blooming well. However, Damiano said that might not be the result of hot weather this summer. Instead, unusually heavy rains late last summer and fall may have helped buds to form. A smaller number of those buds were damaged by the mild winter weather. The result is a lot of blooms. 11And the downside 12Some plants suffer in the heat, including impatiens. The small flowers are not doing well. 13But what Damiano dislikes are the creatures that become more active and numerous when temperatures rise. 14Mosquitos are most active at sunrise and sunset, but they can bite at any time. Although heat theoretically slows their activity, hot conditions can help mosquitoes spread. 15Damiano advises to prevent water from collecting in places around the garden or to put something called Bti in wet areas where mosquitos might lay eggs. Bti is a kind of bacteria that produces a substance poisonous to young mosquitos and a few other flying insects. It is natural, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says it is safe for people and most other insects and animals as well. 16Ticks present another problem. The creatures bite people and spread disease. Cold weather kills them, but they do well in hot weather. Normally found in the eastern U.S. and on the Pacific coast, ticks appear to be spreading to new areas. The EPA even said, "Climate change has contributed to the expanded range of ticks." 17Wearing long sleeves and pants and using special chemicals to keep ticks away can help protect against their bites. 18Earwigs also like heat and humidity. They can make holes in plant leaves, Damiano said. But the "pincher bugs" also eat aphids, which are enemies of the garden. So are thrips and spider mites. 19In addition to insects, heat and humidity are good conditions for slugs. These creatures have soft slimy bodies, and they eat plants. 20Luckily, there are easy ways to control these garden problems. One is to spray soapy water onto soft-bodied insects like aphids, spider mites, thrips and whiteflies. 21As for slugs, salt will kill them but is not good for garden soil. They do not like sharp surfaces, however, so adding crushed eggshells can be an effective control method. The eggshells break down and nourish the plants over time. 22I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 23Jessica Damiano wrote this story for the Associated Press. Mario Ritter, Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. 24______________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26garden -n. a place where plants are raised for their beauty or as food 27mulch -n. usually organic material that is in small pieces and is used to cover the ground to prevent drying and enrich the soil 28soak -v. to get very wet 29tender -adj. very soft 30maggot -n. the larval stage of flies and similar insects 31perennial -adj. lasting for many years 32bud -n. a growth on a plant from which a new branch or fruit will grow 33mild -adj. not strong or sharp 34contribute -v. to be involved in the cause of some outcome 35range -n. the area where something is found or where it lives 36We want to hear from you. 37Our comment policy is here.