WEST HAVEN, Utah — With hotter temperatures on the way, a gardening expert in Weber County said there are signs to look for that indicate whether your plants are feeling stressed by the heat.
West Haven gardener and owner of County Gardens Nursery Kim Hunter has been working for years, and loves what he does.
"Tree leaves when they don’t have enough moisture, they will dry up on the edges and so lot of people will say, ‘my tree is dying,’ well it’s not, that’s heat stress,” said Hunter. "I love growing plants, and I like helping customers pick out things that will work for their yard."
But things have been different this year.
"This year has been really hard,” he said. “When the water's not there, it’s really hard for a nursery to make our sales."
He said business has taken a hit, as it usually does in drought years. He said his nursery has more plants unsold this year, and the heat is still going strong.
With a hot weekend ahead, he recommends trimming your plants—still keeping the healthy parts—to help stimulate growth. He also cautioned against overwatering, and said that just because leaves might be drying, that does not mean the plant or tree needs more water.
"If the plant is droopy and you go out and the soil is wet, it’s not because it’s getting not enough water, it’s because it has too much already,” said Hunter.
He said younger plants might need more water, but older trees with deeper roots can hold on for longer. And shade helps too.
"If you want to have a cooler yard, cooler house, the best thing you can do is plant a tree,” he said.
Once we get past these hot days, he's hoping a good winter can help with sales next spring.
"Because if we don’t, and we go through another year like this, that could kill us,” said Hunter.
