Drought and heat waves, much like what going on in the Boston area the past few weeks, can be damaging to vegetable and landscape gardens. Water, too, can be just as detrimental if plants get too much of it.

But there are ways to keep gardens thriving this summer, and the main one is to ensure plants stay hydrated.

Most vegetable plants, for example, require about 1 inch of rainfall per week to grow normally. They need more water when temperatures reach above 90 degrees.

We suggests using drip irrigation systems to apply water directly to the soil to keep trees, shrubs, flowers and vegetable gardens hydrated. This method keeps the water out of the air and off of the foliage. Wet foliage can lead to foliar diseases of plants, especially in very humid climates.

Drip irrigation is the most efficient way to water your gardens, the water is slowly released into the soil near the plants so the roots can soak up the water and stay hydrated. This will also give the plant a consist amount of water per day/week making the plant less stressed. Another added benefit is having the watering being absorbed by the soil and not evaporated like using a hose or a sprinkler system.

We recommended where plants are going to be planted or already planted using a ring of 1/4 drip line around the plant being fed from a traditional 3/4 Drip line. Once the lines are run we always like to cover the drip lines with mulch or compost for ascetics and keeping the moisture in the garden beds.