As the heat intensifies into top gear, August becomes a month for overcoming the stress of heat on the soil and plantings to the point of survival in severely hit areas.

Water is the lifeline for survival during this time of the year and without several good showers roots and foliage will show stress. Bare surfaces of soil dry out and harden to the point when rain falls, the result is a loss of retention due to run off.

Keeping the soil surface gently “worked” by breaking the “cap” will assist in the water being absorbed into the soil with less run off. This, in tandem with the use of ground cover plantings, will be of great benefit in the survival of plants, especially those needing greater amounts of water.

Such plants include species with larger, softer foliage that are more likely to flag during times of stress and drought, eg, Acalypha sp. (Match-Me-If-You-Can). Ground cover plants by their very nature reduce heat penetration in the soil creating a cooler environment for the root zone.

Watering, when needed, should be carried out in the cool of the evening with the drip zone of the plant being the main area to concentrate the watering. Never leave a hosepipe lying in the sun while attached to the faucet as hot water retained in the pipe during the day can scorch the root zone and foliage if in contact. I would suggest during periods of drought, it is best to apply two or three heavy waterings during the week instead of light applications, which do not seep down to lower soil and encourage roots to chase and search for the moisture.

In larger garden beds, consider creating a trickle irrigation system with perforated hosepipes laid along the beds over the outer edges of the root zone attached to a faucet with a set rate of release for a trickle effect. Monitor the rate of release and saturation rate of the drip irrigation system and adjust as needed to ensure a good saturation of soil around root zones.

As August is included in the hurricane season, it is advisable to review plantings to assess the amount of growth, as new growth will require an uptake of moisture to continue its growth. Where there is an abundance of new growth, consider thinning this out to reduce the impact of drought as well as protecting the plant from potential hurricane winds, which will ‘filter’ through open growth but can severely damage to foliage and branches if growth is too heavy.

If you have a compost heap, consider spreading a layer of well-composted mulch over the soil to assist in both weed control and keeping the soil surface in a ‘cooler’ condition. Being organic matter, the mulch is likely to pose problems with weed germination, so weed control will be required but is well worth the effort; in time the mulch will be worked in to the soil enhancing its tilth.

General maintenance-wise, keep on top of weed growth and rake any fallen debris to reduce pest and disease problems that can add extra stress to plants at this time of the year. This is especially the case in hedgerows, where pests and disease can take hold if not dealt with in a timely fashion. Remember, it is not what you can see which is the problem, it is what you cannot see that can become a problem, to the detriment of adjacent plantings and your neighbours.

• Malcolm D. Griffiths is a trained horticulturalist and fellow of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture in Britain. He is also past president of the Bermuda Horticultural Society, the Bermuda Orchid Society and the Bermuda Botanical Society