The smoke is still here and the fires around us are sadly still blazing. How can you protect yourself and your plants while gardening during fire season? We are experiencing drought here in the San Joaquin and Central Valley, something we’ve reluctantly grown accustomed to each summer. We have adjusted our strategies, changed up our landscapes and found ways to modify and conserve our resources. We know we are adaptable and versatile as gardeners and landscapers. Wildfire smoke has become another increasingly prominent, yet unwelcome, addition to our summer experience when gardening during fire season>. How do we cope and help our gardens survive the impact?
Wildfire smoke varies depending on your proximity to the fire, the wind conditions, and your general location. Every gardener will experience varying degrees of effects on their individual landscape. In areas with severe wildfire smoke, the ash and air quality will have a more significant impact. Ash and smoke smother plants and block out the much-needed sunlight. This much needed sunlight is where they gather carbon dioxide. Another downside, ash in large amounts can mess with the alkalinity of your soil.
Just to toss in a bit of positivity here, the smoke does benefit the plants as well. Plants love carbon dioxide and wildfire smoke lends itself to aiding in fertilization via added carbon dioxide. Your tomatoes may even appreciate a bit of the blocked UV rays and relief from the harsh afternoon sun.
Sometimes, we don’t have a choice, and nature will take its course, but there are some things we can do.
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Hold off on weeding
During the extra bad air quality days, don’t exert yourself outside in the smoky air. Your weeds will wait, your health comes first!
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Give them some love with phosphorus
Ash does contain phosphorus, which is great for distressed plants. If you don’t have ash where you are, you can use kelp.
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Wash your produce well
As much as we like to pluck a cherry tomato and pop it in our mouth, or grab a raspberry off the vine, it’s important to remember that we don’t want to be consuming that nasty ash. If there is visible (or even invisible) ash on your produce, it’s wise to wash it thoroughly before consuming or selling your produce. If the soot on the produce isn’t easily removed, you may have to peel it and remove the gritty skin.
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Keep watering consistent
We know our watering schedule for our area, and if we keep it consistent, we can help relieves some stress from the smoke. Plants need help to avoid dehydration, just like we do. Drip irrigation and timers are super helpful tools for not only water conservation, but consistency and your own health and safety.
Wildfire smoke and drought aren’t something that we enjoy dealing with, but once you learn to navigate them successfully you can still have an amazing garden while protecting the environment and your health.
As you’re taking care of your health and limiting your exposure to the smoke, we wanted to remind you that: We deliver! We can deliver, plants, soil, bark, and rock material. Please give us a call. For quotes on your delivery. We deliver 7 days a week, weekends fill up quickly and we recommend calling in advance to guarantee weekend delivery
