Are Your Trees And Shrubs Suffering From Summer Heat Stress?
During the summer months, as rainfall is decreasing and temperatures climb, at times well past the 90s, trees and shrubs suffer in much the same ways as your lawn grass.
Easy to miss, the signs of heat and drought stress on trees and shrubs may not become noticeable until the plants are in an extremely stressed condition. The typical homeowner may not be aware of the water requirements of these landscape plants. If you think about the fact that grass plants require 1.0 to 1.5 inches of water each week for normal growth, imagine the amount of water required by a tree with a 12 or 18-inch diameter!
Yes, trees do have deep roots, reaching to normally moist soil. But, in periods of extended dryness, soil moisture can and does dry up and even established trees can suffer. This situation is the same, if not more exacerbated for most shrubs, where roots are not nearly as deeply established.
Smart homeowners understand that, when there is no rain for 10 days or longer, it’s time to place the hose under the drip line of trees and shrubs, letting the water trickle at a slow rate for at least five to 10 minutes per small to medium sized tree. Once the root ball is moist, watering won’t be needed again for at least another week to 10 days. The key is to keep trees and shrubs from going into drought stress. While they can go longer than turf without rainfall, once stressed, it can take months for a tree to recover.
Click here for more information form Michigan State University.
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