The Valley's extreme heat wave took its toll on plants and trees

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The extreme heat that hit the Valley with triple digit temperatures last week dried out the life expectancy on some plants and trees.

Gardeners at Belmont Nursery said watering early in the morning or late at night will prevent your plants from going thirsty during the summer, but holding on to that water is key.

"Putting in a few inches of mulch around the plant-- not right up against but around it-- will hold moisture in-- 30-percent improvement," said Lynne Cavanaugh, Belmont Nursery.

From mulch to water timers to drip irrigation there are a wide variety of other products that will prevent your garden from drying out in the heat. Drought tolerant plants are the best solution to surviving dry conditions anytime of the year.

This garden at Fresno State is full of plants and trees that are native to the Central Valley's heat, instead of plants that native to the cool conditions at the central coast.

"Well we do have some pretty extreme summers with really high temperatures. The best thing is to plant plants that are appropriate for the area that can withstand a really intense period of heat like that," said Calliope Correia, Fresno State.

Fresno State's citrus and cherry crops are ready to take on the heat thanks to a surround WP Spray. Robert Willmott is the university's orchard manager; he said the spray is like a sunscreen made up of kaolin clay.

"On the citrus, we're trying to protect the actual fruit from the sun giving it sunburn. As the fruit swells and grows in size it becomes more vulnerable to the sunlight."

The crops were sprayed back in May and should be safe from the Valley's extreme heat all summer long.