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This post is perfect for anyone who wants to keep flowers healthy all summer!

I love sharing my flowers with readers on social media. If you follow me on Instagram, then you get see all my favorite blooms.

Readers ask me all the time how I keep the flowers so pretty in these hot summer months? I live in Texas with 100+ degrees for months, so it takes some special care.

Today, I want to share with you some chemist secrets to keep your flowers healthy for the rest of this summer!

Even if your climate isn’t as warm as mine, you can still follow these tips to keep your blooms looking pretty through the fall.

The best part, everything we are sharing today is CHEAP and easy! That is the beauty of chemistry in the garden ?

Chemist Secrets to Keep Flowers Healthy this Summer

 

1. DON’T Fertilize

I share this tip all the time. Fertilizing in the summer is not good for flowers.

Why?

High nitrogen levels found in fertilizer reacts with the heat from the sun and scorches plants. If your weather is below 85 during the day, you can still get away with small quantities.

Our homemade plant food , an all-time reader favorite, is best to use in spring, early summer, and then again in the fall.

2. Provide Other Nutrients

In our book, we have a special organic formula that is gentle and safe enough to use in the summer. The reason this is okay compared to traditional fertilizers, = is the nitrogen level is low enough to not react with heat, plus it is slow releasing.

If you don’t own the book, check out our feeding tips in this rose post. It can be used for other plants too!

Organic nutrients work different than fertilizer, so it is much safer during the summer months.

3. Feed Leaves with Epsom Salt Spray

Another popular post on Chemistry Cachet is how to shine houseplant leaves. I mention this Epsom salt spray I use to feed the plants, but it is also a great nutrient for outside plants.

Magnesium helps keep the flowers and plants vivid and bright even when the sun is harsh.

4. Keep Summer Bugs Away with Cinnamon

In the Summer, there is so many bugs that destroy plants. I just keep cinnamon sprinkled on the soil along with drops of cinnamon oil.

It has helped keep all the summer bugs away so my flowers stay healthy! This post explains all the chemistry behind cinnamon.

This is great for other plants too like vegetables and fruits.

5. Deadhead Often

Another tip I share all the time is deadheading. In the summer, you want to preserve the life of plants, so getting rid of spent blooms will help. This will keep the flower from trying to send water and nutrients to the dead areas.

Also remove yellow and dead leaves from all plant for the same reasons.

Use the method found in this post on geraniums.

6. Sprinkle Lemon Powder around Soil

Our favorite lemon powder works wonders for plants. It adds a great slow releasing potassium boost for flowers. It works great for potted plants and flower beds too.

Bonus: it deters bugs! Lemon in general deters flies, gnats, and mosquitoes which is why we use it in this homemade bug spray. It works great for keeping them away from plants too. This and the cinnamon work great together.

7. Be Aware of the Sunlight for Potted Plants

Last years popular post goes into great detail on lighting. Summer light is very important for plants, but only at certain times of the day.

This post will help you make sure you get your potted plants in the right spot.

8. Use Soaker Hoses

In high temperatures, water evaporates quickly, so traditional watering or sprinkling isn’t always best.

I purchased soaker hoses a few years ago, and love to use them for all the flower beds. It gives everything a nice slow water without evaporation. These flat ones are really good to use.

 

9. Prune Lightly

For most flowers, even roses, you need to prune a little to keep the blooms going. If you prune too much, they will really try to take off which isn’t good in the summer.

I prune heavily in the spring, lightly in the summer, and cut back in the fall.

To keep blooms on flowers, you do need to prune a little in the summer. Especially for roses.

Two weeks ago, I pruned all my flowers even my hibiscus in pots. One week later, everything had fresh flowers sprouting.

10. Treat Leaf Fungus

To keep flowers pretty in the summer, you have to keep up with the fungal diseases.

For roses, I use this method. This also helps with any mildew or black spot on most flowers. The organic spray in this post is one of my favorites.

You can also whip up a homemade remedy with aspirin! Aspirin is an awesome home tool to use. Just read this post for all the details under number three.

11. Keep Away the Slugs!

I have had many readers asking about this the past few months. If snails or slugs are eating the leaves to your potted plants, use WD-40 around the pot. It deters them and keeps them from crawling. I had a slug problem a few years ago, they would crawl up the pots and eat all the leaves. This helped tremendously.

Since it is hot in the summers, bugs always go towards nutrients and water, which is why they target your pots and flower beds.

So, this post is a great reference to keep all those pretty flowers going strong through fall!

Enjoy!!

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