SIMSBURY, Conn. — There’s no question that Connecticut felt the hot temperatures last week as a heat wave hit the state. Businesses that rely on fair weather and water are finding ways to recover.
Warner Nursery and Garden Center says it’s all about keeping the plants hydrated and making sure the soil doesn’t dry out when the temperatures get as hot as we saw last week.
We found workers providing a cold drink of water to plants at the garden center in Simsbury Monday evening.
“Double up on watering and watering ourselves. Keeping ourselves hydrated, keeping the plants hydrated," Brenda Glazier, the Customer Service and Plant Care Specialist at Warner Nursery, said.
The heat wave brought six days of 90 degree temperatures, which made for more planning and watering for garden centers.
“It’s difficult. We have a lot of smaller annual plants and they all dry out several times a day so we try to water deeply and water often," said Gwyn Warner, General Manager of Warner Nursery.
Warner said they moved some plants into the shade and did two watering sessions a day: one early in the day and another in the evening.
"After we close, plants are still getting sunlight and heat from that late day sun," Warner said.
The nursery said in the heat, it’s important to check the moisture of the soil. Putting down mulch around shrubs and trees can help maintain that moisture, according to Warner.
The sun and hot temps did not deter golfers over in Bloomfield. Director of Golf at Gillette Ridge Golf Club, Bart McCarthy, said they still had players out in the heat wave.
But the heat has meant more upkeep to the green.
"Yes, there’s some browning areas, that’s going to be apparent on all golf courses in the area. Water does not stay on the high side of the hills and the mounds and that’s a problem for most courses right now—they’re going to brown," McCarthy said
He said the groundskeepers know which areas need a little extra attention.
"Occasionally, what we have to do is we need to spot water; any spots that are really browning, we’ll hit them up a few times a day," he said.
Elisha Machado is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at emachado@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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