Summers in Georgia are hot and humid. Combined with a dry spell, the intense heat often results in drought across the state. For many homeowners, taking care of their lawn and flower beds is a priority since they are quick to show the effects of inadequate watering during a drought. As a result, landscape trees are usually neglected in times of drought, even though it’s much harder to replace a tree than a flower bed. As a tree service in Roswell with more than 10 years of experience, we see this issue happen too often, and we would like to help you care for your trees during the harsh Georgia drought season.
Typical Drought Signs in Trees
Did you know that water-stressed trees are less resistant to insects’ infestation than healthy trees? Therefore, it’s important to learn the signs of drought in trees so that you can detect and address them as soon as possible. Below are some symptoms associated with tree’s suffering drought stress:
- Leaf yellowing
- Leaf wilting and curling
- Sparse canopy
- Brown needles
- Premature fall coloring
Once weakened by the drought, your trees will become susceptible to damages and different types of diseases. Recovering from these will be extremely challenging, so be sure to always keep an eye out for the changes in your trees, especially in a drought.
Ways to Care for Your Trees in a Drought
Mulching
When it comes to preserving moisture and protecting your trees’ roots from heat, mulching is your go-to option. Before applying mulch, you should remove the turf and shrub at the base of your trees to reduce competition for water. We also recommend using organic mulch as it helps provide the nutrition and moisture that your trees’ roots and the surrounding soil need. In addition, make sure not to heap piles of mulch up and around the tree trunk as this will shorten the life expectancy of your trees. An even layer of mulch that is about 3 to 4 inches deep will do!
Watering
With the excess heat that comes with a drought, your landscape trees need a sufficient amount of water to survive and thrive. Besides consistency, there are strategies that you should apply in terms of irrigation. In the summer months, don’t water your trees at the peak temperature during the day. Instead, aim for any time between 10 PM and 6 AM. Second, in order to allow the tree roots to absorb the water, you need to water slowly. With newly planted trees, since their roots have not branched out enough to search for water, you need to water often. Finally, observe your soil. It’s important to see how quickly your soil absorbs water so that you can irrigate accordingly.
Fertilizing
Typically, it is not a good idea to fertilize a tree that is suffering from a drought. Fertilization pulls water from the roots and requires the trees to expend extra energy to process the fertilizer. This creates additional stress on the trees. Therefore, early summer months are the best time to fertilize your landscape trees as it helps ensure that they have the time to absorb the nutrients that they need.
Pruning
Just like with fertilizing, you should also avoid pruning during a drought. It causes trees stress. Instead, you should stick to the three D’s – removing Dead, Diseased, and Damaged branches. This allows your trees to only share the available water to thriving areas and sustain the trees’ survival, especially when they are showing typical symptoms of drought stress.
Contact Us – The Top Tree Service Company in Roswell!
At Trees of Georgia, we understand that keeping your trees healthy during the harsh drought season is not easy, and we’re here to help! As a licensed and insured tree services company, we have been serving our local community since 2007. You can count on us to provide the best tree services at an affordable price.
For a free estimate, reach out to us today at (770) 882-4955 or by filling out the contact form on our website.