By Debbie Roland and
Emmy Ulmschneider
Master Gardeners
We have talked about record temperatures and drought conditions in recent articles. In West Texas we are noticing that many trees are beginning to show signs of insufficient, or incorrect, watering. Leaves are turning yellow, wilting or forming small or malformed leaves. In our urban areas, many of the landscape trees we use are not adapted to our arid lands. So, in a time of extreme conditions, they need some TLC. Trees add value to a home so taking care of them is important.
Before we go into the correct way to water your trees, when you are outside remember to plan for the conditions and protect yourself from the sun. Wear loose-fitting light-colored clothing and a broad brimmed hat. Use sunscreen or protective sleeves and masks. Try to get your outside work done in the early mornings and drink lots of water. Take breaks and cool down in a shady, breezy location.
Now back to your trees. It seems that some gardeners are relying on their lawn’s sprinkler system to water their trees. The most important thing you can give your trees right now is deep water in the right place. Unlike plants such as cacti, trees have no ability to store water within them. Their water is returned to the atmosphere through transpiration. And the hotter and windier it is the more they transpire.
An automatic water system used for your lawn and set to water turf is not sufficient to water your trees. For trees, slow heavy waterings are better than short shallow waterings because they encourage the tree to send out deep roots. Shallow waterings grow shallow weak roots will gives no long-term benefit to the tree. And remember that mulch is your friend, especially during the summer. Applying 4” of mulch to the dripline, will help conserve moisture and keep the soil around your tree cooler.
When watering mature trees don’t water the base of the trunk. Instead soak the soil at the tree drip line. Water in the early morning or evening being sure to water slowly and deeply. Water every few days being sure not to let the soil completely dry out. It is easy to make a circle with drip irrigation or a soaker hose which can be attached to the end of your water hose. And to make watering hassle-free, hook the hose to a timer on your outdoor faucet! Young trees need more water and should be watered every day for the first few weeks. After that twice a week should be sufficient. How much is enough? You can use a soil moisture sensor, but an easy way to gauge the soil moisture is to see If a screwdriver penetrates the soil easily.
For more on trees, check out the four-part series we did on trees last fall. Hopefully, if you take good care of your trees this summer you won’t need the article on when to remove a tree this fall!
If you have questions, call the AgriLife office in Odessa at 498-4071 or in Midland at 686-4700. Additional information, and our blog for access to past articles, is available at westtexasgardening.org. Click on “Resources.”
