A GARDENING expert has revealed which three tasks to give a miss during the hot periods – they will do more harm than good.

With summer now in full force, many are enjoying the sunny weather giving their garden a makoever.

But whilst the green space might love a bit of sunshine, gardening in hot weather should be undertaken carefully – one wrong move and you could destroy all the hard work.

Offering a helping hand to all fellow enthusiasts, gardening whizz, Emma Loker, from DIY Garden, shared the most common mistakes people make during the heatwave, The Express reported.

Potting new plants

The dry spell the whole of Europe is under has left many gardens looking a bit dry and rough and you might be tempted to add a few lush plants to bring it back to life.

However, the gurus advise against this.

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Emma explained: “One of the worst times to pot new plants is during a heatwave. 

“Yes, you may want your garden to look glorious for the upcoming BBQ, but I warn against it.

“Soil can lose moisture if you disturb it during a heatwave, leaving less water for your new plants to soak up. 

“While bigger, less needy plants may survive being planted in hot weather, smaller, more high-maintenance plants will suffer.”

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Instead, leave planting for cooler periods – and where possible, use companion planting to help shade the soil.

According to the pros, trimming already existing plants is also a no-no during drought and times of extreme heat.

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This is because pruning plants will signal them to grow – this, in turn,uses vital energy and water; two resources that need to be preserved in heat.

It's recommended to best wait until the heatwave has passed to give plants a trim.

Overwatering lawns

The gardening expert said: “We panic when brown patches appear on our lawn, especially during a heatwave. 

“We're too quick to gather the hose and douse our beloved grass in water. Unfortunately, this is a big mistake. 

“Lawns often turn brown in the heat but rapidly return to a luscious green when temperatures drop.

“While it's ok to water your lawn occasionally, watering grass too frequently can make it reliant on water and less capable of extracting moisture from the soil.”

It’s a good idea to water grass once a week during periods of no rain, but be careful not to flood the grass as you water it.

Turning a blind eye to weeds

“If there's one thing weeds love, it's hot weather, so a heatwave is prime weed growth time. 

“They'll start to crop up everywhere – from the gaps in your paving stones to dry patches in your lawn.”

To combat this the expert advised: “Get outside and rid your garden of weeds when there's a heatwave. 

“I recommend the Fiskars Xact Weed Puller. It's long-handled, so you won't have to stoop, and it will extract the whole root network, making it less likely for the pesky weeds to return.”

Sharing his expertise, Carlos Real, lawn care expert and managing director of Total Lawn advised against using weed killers at this time, especially on lawns.

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He said: “Although your grass can be incredibly resilient at times, it’s best to avoid using any weed killer during the heatwave, as it’s another unnecessary stress for your healthy grass to fight.

“As the heat takes over, plant growth slows down and the leaves dry out, reducing the amount of herbicide that weeds can absorb – so even if you want to remove weeds, chances are they’re not budging until after the sun has gone anyway.”

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