Preparing and taking care of your garden during the summer can be a challenge, and there are a few tasks to keep in mind. From pruning flowers, to collecting fresh harvests, or leaving clippings on lawns to stop them from drying out and going brown, it can be a busy time of year outdoors, and one of the most important tasks is making sure you keep your garden hydrated.
Watering plants is especially important during bouts of warmer weather, as the top layers of soil can easily dry out in the heat, leaving plants vulnerable. But it’s often slightly more complicated than simply getting out a watering can or hosepipe and giving plants a good splash of water, and it’s important to keep in mind the time of day you’re watering plants to ensure they’re as hydrated as possible. Some experts even recommend soaking mushrooms in water to provide plants with more nutrients, especially during heatwaves.
But besides caring for your garden lawn and plants, and making sure these don’t dry out and ruin all your months of hard work, there’s one other item that many gardeners often forget to water during hot weather.
In a video posted on Instagram, gardening enthusiast @cookseyfarms reminded gardeners of watering this one thing, and said: “Don’t forget — your compost needs to be watered too sometimes!”
Many gardeners keep and use homemade compost, using weeds, shredded wood and even vegetable scraps. Not only does compost improve soil structure, but the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) explains that it can also boost moisture retention in fast-draining soils.
However, compost that has become dry won’t be of any use in your garden as the beneficial bacteria and fungi need moisture to break down organic matter, making it hard for compost to decompose and essentially do its job.
In the caption of the video shared by @cookseyfarms, the gardening enthusiast wrote: Dry compost just…doesn’t compost! Maintaining the proper water levels can ensure your compost stays active.”
If your compost starts to look dry, give it a good watering, but don’t drench it. While it’s important to keep it moist, compost that’s too wet can be slower to decompose and also smell bad.
“It shouldn’t be sopping wet, just like a wrung-out sponge,” said @cookseyfarms. If you find that your compost is too wet, the RHS advises adding more dry material like chopped wood, woodchip, straw or even shredded paper to help absorb the moisture.