If your plants are struggling during the warmer weather, this TikToker has a simple solution. The trick is to place a bowl of water in your outdoor areas during the heatwave
Adding a bowl of water to your garden might seem like a trivial task, but it could have a big impact on your outdoor space. Gardening expert Ish, also known as @gardening.with.ish, swears by this simple trick. In a recent TikTok video, he revealed how a bowl of water can be used to “rescue” struggling plants.
Although it may seem straightforward, Ish claims it can make a huge difference to the health of your flowers. Even experienced gardeners can be guilty of being “neglectful” to their plants from time to time, especially when they have a large number to care for. When plants are forgotten, the soil can become “rock hard” and difficult to water, as it doesn’t absorb well.
However, Ish has a clever solution to this problem. He explains that compost is similar to a sponge, and when it’s soaked in water for about an hour, it can work magic.
Demonstrating the technique by placing a small plant in a bowl of water, Ish says: “Eventually it will slowly start soaking all that water back in, and it’ll start to then become soft and pliable and incredibly absorbant, and that’s exactly what you do with dried up compost.
“You leave it to soak for about an hour, and what that’ll do is rehydrate the soil, and create a kind of nice, easy, spongy texture, which means when you water this, it will completely soak in all of the water.
“Once an hour has passed, you can easily take this out, and you’ll feel the weight already of the hydrated soil in there. Just place it on a shelf to slowly drain away, and your soil will be fully rehydrated.
“As a result, you’ll be able to water this again and again as normal, and the water won’t run out of the sides, but actually soak in and your plant will be nice and happy.”, he added.
Since the video was shared, it’s racked up hundreds of views, with watchers eagerly chipping in their opinions and hacks. There’s been a whole variety of responses and suggestions.
One viewer commented: “I get them under water until there are no bubbles coming from the soil.”
Meanwhile, another shared their success story: “Yes, I did it to my indoor plant that was slowly showing signs of dying. Now it’s like a new plant and I’m so happy.”
A third added: “I do this with my spider plant and peace lily house plants.” And someone else mentioned: “Very useful tip to keep in mind for the summer.”
It’s important to heed Ish’s advice this week – as a heatwave is on its way to the UK. New weather maps for the country on Thursday show temperatures peaking at 26C in London and the south east of England, as warm weather spreads across much of England and Wales.
Brits from Southampton up as far north as Newcastle will enjoy warm sunshine on Thursday as temperatures are forecast to range from the low to mid-20s and predictions of 29C from the Met Office. But one region is set to miss out on the best of the weather before things start to cool down again.
Those in the south west of the country, mainly Cornwall but also parts of Devon, will see highs of just 16C on Thursday at 3pm, while areas in the Pennines and Scottish borders are set for just 14C. Meanwhile those in and around London will see temperatures reaching 24C, according to new weather maps from WXCharts.
