[Diana in Wisconsin]

“I’m sure I’ll be watering everything again tomorrow. The heat just dries everything out.”

I watered everything THOROUGHLY this morning, and I just checked on the garden and it needs water again. Very hot (95!) and windy all day, so that makes total sense.

An inch of rain is predicted for Tuesday, but with yet another hot and windy day between I will be watering in the morning before my company hits the tarmac at 11am. ;)

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

I watered this afternoon as well. The wind, along with the heat, just draws the moisture up out of the soil and speeds plant respiration as well.

This was an interesting article! A discussion of effects of season change on trees and plants.

EarthSky Summer solstice: Could trees know when it is?

Do trees know when the summer solstice is?

"People have been celebrating the summer solstice with elaborate rituals since prehistoric times. But humans aren’t the only species to mark the date. Studies are showing the summer solstice is an important cue for plants too."

"Recent studies, including one of my own, have proposed that trees may use the longest day of the year as a key marker for their growth and reproductive cycles. The solstice seems to act like a calendar reminder for trees." ...Snip

(More at link)