Depending on where you are in the country, you may be finding some plants are struggling to get go because of dry soil. Here are three easy warning signs to look out for.
Wilting
What you can see in this photo is a slightly extreme example of a plant wilting. Where you see early signs of wilting and the leaves begin to droop on a plant, act fast to water it and bring it back to life before it reaches this stage!
If your soil dries out very easily, it would be worth mulching heavily with compost or some other organic matter (see post below), or considering a drip-hose system to help keep moisture in the soil.
Bolting
Bolting is really common in mustard leaves, brassicas and salads – the plants, under the stress of not having enough water, suddenly bolt and produce flowers long before they would normally. This means that they stop producing leaves and are working to get their seeds out as quickly as they can.
Mulching is an excellent way of preventing bolting as it can help to keep the soil underneath cooler and damper so that the roots of plants can access water easily, even on hot, dry days.
Yellow leaves
The leaves on this squash plant are a classic sign of the plant not being able to draw up enough water from the soil. Look out for this, as it is easily one of the earliest signs of trouble, and you can rectify it quite easily by making sure you water thoroughly in the mornings for a few days. A liquid feed would also help, just to get the plants’ nutrient levels back on track.
