Rain can be a blessing or a threat to gardeners. Overly large amounts of rain can result in flooding, plant diseases, and soil erosion.
Gardening during the wet season may also be difficult, especially for gardens in flat, low land, or flood-prone areas.
Here are few tips that may help combat the effects of heavy rainfall:
Monitor possible flooding
Locate areas in the garden that are either vulnerable to flooding or have drainage issues. This allows gardeners to anticipate and sort out possible troubles ahead of time. One approach to keep the water flowing away from the garden is to use rock beds and plastic drainage pipes.
Check the plants
Prolonged periods of rainfall may cause harm to the plants. They can suffer from fungal diseases such as powdery mildew, causing the leaves to form white spots.
Inspect any damage in the plants after the storm or downpour. Prune the damaged leaves and support the bent or unbroken plants using stakes. Provide immediate treatment to those infected plants.
Check if any roots have been exposed due to soil erosion. Cover the base with soil or compost right away. Otherwise, roots will lose their moisture if left exposed and eventually kill the plant.
Restore the lost nutrients
Rain can wash away the nutrients in the plants. Hence, it is crucial to refill those nutrients back for their continuous growth. Add nutrient-rich compost or fertilizer to the soil after the storm.
Be careful when walking in the garden
As much as possible, do not step on the wet soil in the garden as this increases the risks of damaging the plant roots.
Remove weeds, stagnant water, and slugs
Check materials (empty containers, carts) or places in the garden that can catch rainwater because they can turn into breeding grounds for pests. Make sure to control the weeds during the monsoon season where they become prolific. Beware of the moist-loving slugs that may be hiding in the crops, too.
Turn it to your advantage
Rainy weather may entail problems, but it also presents a few advantages that gardeners can seize. This is the time to grow crops that flourish in wet conditions.