After landscaping, it is your responsibility to keep your trees healthy and alive. A tree service company can give you steps on how to take care of your trees during a drought so listen to them carefully.
Drought can slowly kill your trees because of the increased salt in the soil and dryness in the roots. This can cause wilted foliage, undersized and underdeveloped leaves, scorched leaves and yellowing, and premature falling of the leaves.
Don’t worry though. Here are five easy steps to save your trees from dying during extreme heat and drought.
Mark Your Trees and Plants
With a limited water source due to drought, you don’t have to give your plants the same amount of water. Mark your trees based on value.
Make the most valuable ones your priority. If you find a tree that is dying already, it is best to remove it then continue watering it, knowing its chance to survive is very slim.
Newly planted trees (those that were planted during springtime) need more water than the older ones.
Their roots are not fully developed yet, and drought can easily kill them. Mark these new plants too. For established trees, regular watering is needed even if it’s just once a week.
Practice Proper Irrigation
If you are experiencing a limited water supply due to drought, it is best to practice proper irrigation techniques.
Turn off your central sprinkler and place a sprinkler closer to your trees (underneath it is the most strategic place).
This ensures that the entire root zone is covered by the sprinkler. Your water must rich the roots of your trees to keep them alive during drought.
You can also add a drip line around your tree to enable efficient water delivery towards its roots.
Placing water bags around smaller trees is also a way to keep them hydrated during drought. Remember, watering should be on the soil, not on the foliage.
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Inject Water to Your Tree’s Roots
If drought is affecting your trees, you can ask your tree company if they can help you with deep water injection.
This is done using hydraulic-pressure injection and you can use recycled water for it. For deeper injection though like to its roots, you should use potable water.
Minimize Water Loss
Due to extreme heat during drought, water evaporates faster. You can prevent this by mulching.
Mulching helps the root to stay hydrated. If you are not sure how to do mulching, your tree service company can help you.
Mulching is the process of adding some materials on top of the soil around your trees to conserve soil moisture and keep and prevent drying.
This is also a great way to stop the weed from growing. When done professionally, mulching can also enhance the appeal of the area – making it a great solution for landscaped trees during drought. Mulch also keeps the soil cooler, thus helping a tree’s root survive extreme drought.
Give your Tree Continued TLC
Tender loving care for your trees doesn’t stop by giving them appropriate water and mulching. You should also continue pest management as needed.
Pruning is not advisable though during drought. Pruning might stress your drying trees and can cause them to die.
Avoid using fast-acting fertilizers as well. Giving your trees fertilizer won’t help it much because of the lack of water during the drought.
What to Watch Out During Drought
Even with rigorous planning and watering techniques, drought might still end up killing some of your trees and ruining your landscape.
It is important to keep a watchful eye on your trees and shrubs. Some signs can tell you whether a tree is dying or can still be saved.
You can ask your tree service company for a second opinion or ask them to remove it for you as needed.
Among the symptoms of a dying tree during drought are leaves discoloration and leaves that are falling prematurely.
You might also notice that the top part of your tree is dying. If you are seeing these signs, then your tree is now drought-stress and it is time to contact your tree company or an arborist.
Takeaway
Why should you go a long way just to save your trees during the drought? Aside from giving us clean air and provides shade during summer, trees can also increase the value of your property once you decided to put it on the market.
If you will practice these five easy steps to take care of your trees during drought, you can be sure that your trees will survive drought.
