Well, howdy there! Let’s chew the fat about when it’s too darn hot to be puttin’ that good stuff on your plants. You know, the fertilizer. We gotta make sure them plants don’t get all fried up like a chicken on a Sunday afternoon.
Now, I ain’t no fancy scientist or nothin’, but I’ve been around the block a few times, and I’ve seen what happens when you ain’t careful. First off, you gotta pay attention to the weather. If it’s hotter than a pistol outside, like 85 or 90 degrees, well, hold your horses. That’s just too hot, plain and simple.
- Too Hot Means Trouble: When it gets that hot, your plants get all stressed out, just like us when we’re sweatin’ buckets. And if you go throwin’ fertilizer on ’em when they’re already feelin’ poorly, it’s like kickin’ a dog when it’s down. They just can’t handle it.
- Burn, Baby, Burn: You see, that fertilizer, it’s strong stuff. And when it’s hot, it can burn them plants right up, leaves and all. They’ll turn all brown and crispy, and then you ain’t got nothin’ but a bunch of dead plants. And nobody wants that, do they?
- Early Bird Gets the Worm (and the Fertilizer): Best time to put that stuff down is early in the mornin’, ‘fore it gets too hot. Like, you know, when the sun’s just peekin’ over the horizon. That way, the plants got time to soak it all up before the heat comes beatin’ down.
Some folks say you should fertilize in the early spring. And that makes sense, you know? Get them plants all fed and happy so they can grow big and strong. But even then, you gotta keep an eye on the weather. If you get a late frost or somethin’, that can mess things up. So be careful, is what I’m sayin’.
Now, if you’re fertilizin’ in the summer, you need a different kind of feed for them plants. Somethin’ like a 20-0-10, they say. That’s got plenty of that nitrogen stuff to help ’em grow, and some of that potassium to keep ’em from gettin’ all dried up. And waterin’ is important too. Water ’em good in the mornin’, between 6 and 10 o’clock, that’s what I do. That way, they’re all nice and hydrated before the sun starts beatin’ down.
If you see your plants lookin’ all wilty and sad, or their leaves are turnin’ brown or yellow, well, that’s a sign they ain’t happy. Could be it’s too hot, could be they need water, could be a whole lot of things. But whatever it is, don’t go puttin’ fertilizer on ’em. That’ll just make things worse. Give ’em a good drink of water and see if that helps.
So, let’s recap, shall we? Don’t fertilize when it’s hotter than 85 or 90 degrees. Do it early in the mornin’, ‘fore it gets too hot. Use the right kind of fertilizer, dependin’ on the time of year. And water your plants good. If you do all that, your plants should be just fine. And if you see your grass is not lookin’ too good, wiltin’ and changin’ colors, and gettin’ all brittle, hold off on the fertilizer.
And remember, this ain’t rocket science. It’s just common sense. You gotta pay attention to your plants, and they’ll tell you what they need. If they’re lookin’ good, then you’re doin’ somethin’ right. If they ain’t, then you gotta figure out what’s wrong and fix it. And a lot of the time, it’s just too darn hot to be messin’ with fertilizer.
So, there you have it. My two cents on when it’s too hot to fertilize. Hope it helps you keep them plants happy and healthy. And remember, a little bit of common sense goes a long way. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go check on my own tomatoes. It’s gettin’ mighty hot out there!
