Tag leaf drop

How Can I Help My Trees During a Drought?

by Texas Tree Surgeons Ask Texas Tree Surgeons, Extreme Weather

Residents of North Texas are familiar with long, hot summers that take a toll on everyone and everything. From drinking extra water, keeping our pets cool, and making sure our air conditioners are working, summer in DFW can be a busy time. While watering our lawns is common practice, many homeowners do not think about the water needs of their trees. During a Texas summer, and especially when we are in drought conditions, providing adequate tree care is critical to helping your trees survive and thrive.

How Does Drought Affect Trees?

Trees are able to store water and nutrients and so may not show signs of drought stress immediately, at least not to a casual observer. When trees are greatly affected by lack of water, these symptoms are common:

  • Yellowing, wilting and browning leaves
    • Leaves turning colors other than green (except in species that exhibit other colors of foliage) is often the first sign that something is wrong with a tree
  • Leaf drop/defoliation
    • Keep in mind that some species (like live oaks and magnolias) exchange leaves throughout the year, rather than all in the fall, so some leaf drop is natural
  • Dieback at the end of branches and limbs
    • As a tree loses vitality, the smaller growth is often the first to die
  • Sunburn
    • As the canopy loses leaves, larger parts of the tree become exposed to sunlight
    • Constant exposure to light and heat causes damage to the outer layers of bark, which can start to die and fall off, exposing the nutrient-carrying parts of the tree to more heat and sun

Even when visible signs are not present, trees experience stress soon after their needs for water are not met. Some of the “invisible” signs of drought stress are:

  • Death of fine, nutrient-absorbing roots
    • In addition to the large stabilizing roots, trees have fine, hair-like root structures in the top layers of soil that absorb water and nutrients
    • These roots die quickly when the soil around them becomes dry and hot
    • As these roos die, the tree loses its ability to take up moisture and nutrients from the soil, leading to further stress and dieback
  • Reduced ability to fight off diseases and pests
    • If a tree is losing energy due to a lack of incoming moisture and nutrients, its defenses are less able to resist other attacks and stressors
    • If bark is being lost, pests that feed on the heartwood have easier access
  • Stressors that are normally insignificant can become big issues
    • The impacts of unnecessary removal of green wood, damage to the canopy or root system, and stress from nearby activity (such as construction) are amplified by drought stress

What Can I Do to Help My Trees in a Drought?

Water. Water. Water!

The most important thing to do to help your trees is water them.

  • A lawn sprinkler system is NOT enough to keep trees hydrated.
    • Trees need much more water than turf grass or smaller plants, and must be watered correctly, if there is to be any effect.
  • North Texas Tree Watering Guide

Use Mulch to Regulate Soil Temperature and Moisture

Proper use of mulch around trees reduces the amount of watering needed and provides vital nutrients to the soil and tree roots underneath.

What to Avoid in a Drought (and Always!)

DO NOT Use High-Nitrogen Fertilizer

  • Nitrogen stimulates rapid growth, which expends a tree’s depleted energy stores quickly

DO NOT Use “Weed and Feed” Products

  • The “weed” component is a tree-targeting herbicide, and the “feed” is often a nitrogen-based growth stimulant

DO NOT Over Trim Trees

  • Avoid unnecessary trimming and removing too much of the canopy, which reduces a tree’s ability to draw up moisture and exposes the branches to the sun

DO NOT Disturb the Area Under a Tree’s Canopy (Critical Root Zone)

  • Digging, trenching, planting, construction, and other activity can destroy the fine, nutrient-absorbing roots and even damage larger roots, leading to instability

How Arborists Help in a Drought

Whether your tree is showing signs of lack of water, or is withstanding drought stress, proper tree care from an ISA Certified Arborist® is crucial to giving your trees the best chance to survive a drought.

  • Proper trimming to remove dead or diseased wood, and provide airflow to keep the canopy cool
  • Applying organic soil amendments designed to help drought-stressed trees supplement any lack of nutrients in the environment
  • In cases of root damage, pest activity, or heat-related diseases, recommending plant health care programs designed to reduce stress and encourage healthy growth
  • Reminding you to water!

Proper summer tree care (especially watering!) is the key to keeping fine root structures alive so that trees are able to get the water and nutrients they need to survive a drought. The top two to four inches of soil around the base of a tree and under the canopy is where a tree gets most of what it needs to grow. Keeping that area stable, watered, and cool goes a long way toward having trees that thrive even in a North Texas summer.

At Texas Tree Surgeons, we love trees and we love our community! The Texas drought in 2011 killed an estimated 300 million trees, including 5.6 million urban shade trees. We are keeping an eye on Texas drought conditions and adjusting our recommendations and practices accordingly. If you are concerned about your trees or have questions about how best to care for them, one of our ISA Certified Arborists® would be glad to talk to you! Contact us today!

Leaves Dropping Early? [UPDATED]

by Texas Tree Surgeons Ask Texas Tree Surgeons, Tree Health Care

UPDATE 9/2019 – We see twig girdlers every year, so we thought it’d be a good idea to cover them again! While this post is directed toward Frisco, we are seeing them all over the Metroplex.

Dear Frisco Arborist,
Why are little clumps of leaves falling off my trees and making a mess of my yard?

Texas Tree Surgeons is proud to call North Texas home, and we want to answer questions asked by residents of our communities. Here, a real Frisco Arborist answers a common question this time of year.

As we move out of the heat of Summer and into Fall, many changes can be seen in our North Texas Trees. We begin to see leaves fall from many of our trees. Live oaks, however, generally keep their leaves until the Spring, when they exchange them for new growth. While Frisco, Texas, may not get the dramatic colors of other areas of the country, the variety of trees can still make for an interesting Fall change.

At Texas Tree Surgeons, our Frisco arborists have been getting questions about clumps of twigs and leaves falling from trees of all species. These leaves and twigs are dropping too early for Fall, and can begin to accumulate in yards. Concerned for the health of their trees, homeowners turn to the Frisco tree professionals.

While squirrel damage may account for some of the leaf and twig drops, there is another explanation for a lot of the damage we see: twig girdlers.

What is a twig girdler?

“Twig girdler” is the common name for several longhorn beetles in the genus Oncideres. Twig girdlers can target any tree species. In late Summer and early Fall, the adult twig girdlers appear in preparation for the mating season. Once they have mated, the female beetles begin their preparations for laying eggs.

Female twig girdler beetles feed on the tender shoots and bark of young tree growth and lay their eggs in the small segments at the ends of branches The beetles also remove a notch of bark around the circumference of twigs in which their eggs are laid. The notch around the twig causes it to die, and it falls to the ground with any leaves attached to it. The eggs hatch in a few days and the beetle larvae live in the fallen twig, eating the plant material throughout the winter. In the spring, the young beetles finish their growth and the adults emerge in the summer, ready for the life cycle to begin again.

What can I do about twig girdlers?

For Frisco tree owners, there are a few options for controlling twig girdlers:

  • Once the twigs have fallen, gather up and destroy
  • Keep monitoring trees during the winter and dispose of any fallen tree material
  • Contact a Frisco arborist for Plant Health Care treatment options
    • Often, there is a pesticide application in the Spring to control larvae and one in the Summer or Fall to control the adults

What if it’s something else?

Twig girdlers are not the only cause of unseasonable leaf and twig drop. While Frisco arborists often see twig drop from girdlers, squirrels can also cause similar damage. At Texas Tree Surgeons, we offer a full range of Plant Health Care programs that are tailored to your particular tree and what is affecting it. We are always happy to have one of our certified arborists in Frisco come out and take a look at what is causing your tree to drop twigs.

While we can treat for many of the causes of twig damage, sorry, but we don’t offer a squirrel repellent.

Request an Estimate or give us a call today to discuss what options the Frisco arborists at Texas Tree Surgeons have for you!