True or false, sprinkler systems are enough to water your tree?
False, sprinklers are designed to water your sod not your tree.
Amy Heath, Owner of Texas Tree Surgeons and ISA Board Certified Master Arborist® provides tips on how to water your tree effectively.
You can find more info on how to water your trees here, and here.
As summer drags on and temperatures continue to rise, we start getting calls about limbs falling off of otherwise healthy trees. Unlike storm or ice damage, branches falling in the middle of summer can happen unpredictably and seemingly without cause. This phenomenon is well-documented but unfortunately not well understood.
The tendency of some trees to lose large limbs during periods of high temperatures, like our North Texas summers, is generally called “sudden branch drop,” although it is also referred to as “high temperature limb failure,” and similar terms. While it is a not-uncommon occurrence during the summer, the exact cause is not known.
Even if there is no consensus on what causes the phenomenon of summer limb loss, there are several factors that likely contribute to branch instability:
Since the exact cause of high temperature limb loss is unknown, there is no guaranteed way to prevent it. However, following best practices for tree care during the summer will give your tree the best chance to recover from losing a large limb.
At Texas Tree Surgeons, we love trees and we love our community! Sudden limb drop may be unpreventable, but minimizing its effects and helping your trees thrive even during the hottest summers is easy! Our team of certified arborists and experienced tree workers can help keep your trees healthy and looking their best year-round. Contact us today to schedule an assessment!
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.
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:
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:
The most important thing to do to help your trees is water them.
Proper use of mulch around trees reduces the amount of watering needed and provides vital nutrients to the soil and tree roots underneath.
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 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!
Just as with extreme winter weather, intense summer heat and lack of rainfall can create stressful and dangerous situations for trees. The drought conditions we endured for the summer of 2022 dried out area lakes and rivers and dramatically reduced the available moisture in the soil.
According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, over 3 million trees died as a result of the widespread drought of 2011. While some of the data shows that the 2022 drought was less severe than 2011, many areas of the state have actually had less rainfall and more 100-degree days than in the comparable period 11 years ago. Additionally, many trees affected in the 2022 drought were still suffering the effects of the freezing weather in 2021.
The effects of drought cannot be overstated.
In addition to potentially facing long periods and high temperatures, trees in drought areas:
Can lose their ability to take up nutrients from the soil
When ground temperatures rise as high as they did this summer, the soil dries out and the fine, nutrient-absorbing roots of a tree found close to the surface die.
Have to rely on limited energy stores instead of outside nutrition
This leaves energy stores depleted, leading to further decline after their dormant season.
Are unable to immediately take up much-needed moisture once it returns
Moisture-absorbing riot structures take time to regrow in dehydrated soil.
Find their microenvironment greatly altered
Beneficial microorganisms, just like fine tree roots, cannot live in dried out, hard ground.
Even though we have had some rain recently, it is not enough to help trees come back from extended drought. Proper watering now will make a big difference!
Apply appropriate soil amendments and compost/natural fertilizers
Nutrient-rich material, such as compost or soil amendments, bring much-needed micronutrients to bolster soil revitalization.
As a response to the drought stress, Texas Tree Surgeons will be using a nutrient-rich fertilizer mix that contains beneficial rhizosphere bacteria, seaweed and yucca extracts, urea and humic acids, as well as fish meal, kelp meal, worm tea, and sea water extracts for fall 2022 applications. This blend of natural micronutrient sources will benefit not only the trees, but the soil ecosystem, and allow beneficial microorganisms to thrive.
Use mulch in the trees’ root zones to help regulate soil temperature and moisture content
Proper mulching leads to better soil, as the mulch decomposes into nutritious organic matter.
For stressed trees, only remove dead or broken areas and do light maintenance trimming
Wait until the trees have had another growing season before considering major work.
Drought can lead to more dry and dead limbs; be sure to remove those before they come down in fall and winter storms.
If you need to replace trees or other landscaping that didn’t make it, fall and winter are the best times to plant
Use native species to ensure hardiness against future droughts.
Need some ideas? Check out our list of great ornamentals, as well as information about native grasses from our friends at Native Gardeners.
ABSOLUTELY DO NOT USE HIGH-NITROGEN FERTILIZER OR “WEED AND FEED” PRODUCTS!
Using a high-nitrogen fertilizer can stimulate fast and unsustainable growth that is a waste of the already-taxed energy stores of stressed trees.
“Weed and feed” products are formulated to kill woody-stemmed plants (like trees!). Using these chemicals adds a further stressor to the tree’s environment.
Do not install new sod or artificial turf
Putting sod or synthetic turf around a stressed tree will prevent the regrowth of the tree’s fine root systems.
Do not rely on sprinkler systems or lawn irrigation to water your trees
Trees’ water requirements are vastly different from turf grass. Make sure you are watering correctly.
Do not over- or improperly trim your trees
Lion tailing, topping, and removing large sections of canopy are always a bad idea, but improper trimming can lead to a stressed tree dying completely.
At Texas Tree Surgeons, we love trees and we love our community! We hope your trees made it through the summer of 2022, but even trees that seem unaffected need particular attention and care in the coming months and years. Proper watering is key, but drought-stressed trees and soil need additional help this fall and in the seasons to come. Our ISA Certified Arborists can assess your trees’ needs and recommend a well-tailored plan of soil amendments and healthy trimming to make your trees thrive all year long. Get in touch today!
With over 90% of Texas in drought conditions, water conservation measures are in effect over much of the state. Caring for our urban forest during a drought requires special attention to our watering practices to ensure that trees get the water they need and none is wasted.
Yes! Even if you have a sprinkler system or regularly water your lawn, you need to water your trees as well.
In-ground irrigation systems and hose-attached sprinklers are designed to provide water for turf grass and other ground cover.
Some sprinklers may be able to provide more water for small shrubs and bushes, but none of them are adequate to meet a mature tree’s water needs.
If a tree is not properly mulched, it may be in competition for water resources with other plants.
If there is artificial grass present, water and nutrients in the soil may be scarce.
Without adequate water, trees’ immune systems weaken, leading to increased susceptibility to disease and insects.
Repeated, long-term stress from lack of water can lead to a cycle of decline and tree death.
There are two main ways to get sufficient water to your trees: using a soaker hose or hand watering.
Soaker Hose
Recommended for ease of use and coverage
Make sure the hose can cover the entire root zone
Depending on the type, hoses can be arranged in circles or a spiral around the tree or in radial lines leading out from the trunk
Run the soaker hose long enough to wet the ground in the root area to a depth of 10-12 inches
Check the soil to see how long it retains moisture and only water after the soil has dried
Too much water can be as bad as too little
Generally, watering should be every 7-10 days
Hand Watering
Place a garden hose so that the outlet is 1-2 feet from the root flare of the tree
Turn on water enough to spread, but not so much that it puddles or streams away
Move hose around tree to ensure even watering of entire canopy area
As with soaker hoses, stop watering when soil is damp to a depth of 10-12 inches
Wait a few days and check soil moisture
Re-water when soil is dry to avoid excess dampness
Special Considerations
Some trees may require watering more often
Stressed/sick trees (such as by freeze damage or pest activity)
Non-native species
Recently-planted trees
During periods of wet weather, do not water too often
Excess soil moisture can cause rapid growth of harmful microorganisms
After watering, mulching is the most effective way to regulate tree moisture. Proper mulching helps regulate soil temperature, slows evaporation, and contributes to soil nutrients as it breaks down.
Avoid high nitrogen fertilizers and growth stimulators, as these can cause a tree to use up energy stores and require more water to maintain. Organic soil amendments and compost can be added to soil and mulch if needed.
At Texas Tree Surgeons, we love trees and we love our community! While the summer months can be fun, the drought conditions they often bring can be stressful to people and plants. Proper watering of our urban forest leads to healthy trees that can help regulate heat, provide shade, and keep the air fresh. Have questions about how best to care for your trees during drought? Contact us today!
After the extreme weather events in recent years, trees in North Texas are having a rough time.
Oak wilt is a devastating disease that affects all species of oak trees. Spread through root systems and pruning cuts, the insects and fungi that cause oak wilt infections are most active between February and July every year. As always, we recommend avoiding all oak trimming, except for removing dead or damaged branches, during oak wilt season. If oak trees need to be trimmed during this time, we follow recommended protocols such as painting the cuts, which adds a fee of 20% to trimming prices. For more info about oak wilt, visit our post on the topic.
REMEMBER: Anyone who says that oak wilt is not a serious concern is incorrect. There is no known proven cure for oak wilt, and oak wilt treatments are expensive and do not have a high success rate. Prevention is the best approach!