The weather continues to heat up and there is no rain in the forecast. Not to mention our previous drought, freeze, drought, freeze weather pattern. You do not need an expert to tell you trees get stressed. We see the evidence all around us. The tricky thing about drought stress on trees, is that it takes a while to witness the aftereffects. The question of whether to water your trees or not was posed to our certified arborist, Ryan Moody.
“Both to conserve water and to ensure the tree is fully benefiting from the watering, trees should be watered slowly around their root ball until the water is clearly running off the surface due to saturation. The drier/more compacted the soil, the more slowly the water should be applied. This can be repeated several times, stopping each time when the water runs off instead of soaking in,” said Moody. The most recent storm brought on overly saturated soil, coupled with high winds resulting in huge losses to homes and property after multiple trees simply uprooted right out of the ground. Oak trees have a shallow root system. When the soil around the trees becomes dry and compacted from lack of rain it makes it more difficult for the tree to receive water as it simply runs off the surface. This can lead to a weaker root system, putting your trees at risk.
“Slow soaks saturate the soil more completely than quick watering, and this encourages deeper root development, which will enhance drought tolerance. There is not a good standard for how long these waterings should take, it is heavily dependent on the site and the conditions,” Moody shared. Drought stress not only weakens a tree’s root system, it leaves them more susceptible to diseases like Oak Wilt or destructive pests like the pine engraver beetle. In many cases, drought kills the fine feeder roots that trees use to absorb water and nutrients. Until these feeder roots can regrow, the tree remains under stress and cannot support a full array of leaves.
“Watering should not be considered until the top two inches of the root ball is fairly dry. Trees that are still establishing (1-3 years, generally) will need more monitoring. After this, trees should not require much, if any, supplemental watering unless there is no irrigation system, and temperatures are extremely hot or cold,” said Moody.
Moody also gave a helpful tip for winter weather. “Watering before extreme cold can be a smart idea for trees with less cold tolerance, it can protect the root ball from hard freezes. A good rule of thumb for whether a tree/shrub/plant needs supplemental water is to look at the leaves. If they are drooping at the end of the day, there is no immediate need for concern. Check again in the morning. If they are drooping in the morning, watering is needed,” recommends Moody.
Moody reported that, “All trees benefit from being watered, a common pitfall to avoid is not watering “drought tolerant” trees because of a perception that they do not need it. ALL planted trees need supplemental water at some point during their establishment phase, even trees suited to arid conditions.”
If you are concerned about your trees give us a call. We are happy to help as we all know how valuable shade is in the summertime in East Texas.
