If you're in one of the many areas of the country where there has been an extended drought over the past few years, you may be starting to notice your trees looking a little haggard. They may be suffering from an affliction known as drought stress. You should never ignore signs of drought stress in your trees because it can lower your trees' ability to fight off infection, fungi, and bugs that can end up killing the tree. Learn more about drought stress and how to deal with it.
What Is Drought Stress?
When any plant is placed in a drought scenario, it will undergo steps to try to stay alive for the duration of the drought. This reaction is called "drought stress." In trees, this reaction starts by the tree shutting down its photosynthesis process, which is how the tree creates its food through converting carbon dioxide into organic sugars with the help of sunlight. Leaves then begin to droop, curl, grow yellow, and then fall. Some leaves will appear to "scorch" before they fail, appearing to have yellow or brown edges or veins that look similar to mild burning. Pine trees are better adapted for drought scenarios, but a pine suffering from drought stress will either have a browning of the tips of its needles or will begin to lose needles. If the drought continues, the tree will slowly kill off its branches from the furthest out to the closest in, and after enough damage, the tree itself will become unresponsive to irrigation attempts and die.
How Can I Help Drought Stressed Trees?
Irrigation is the very best way you can help a tree to avoid drought stress. If your region is in a drought, do what you can to gently water each of your established trees around three times a month during late spring through to early autumn. Extreme heat in summer can exacerbate your tree's water loss, so it's important to take special care during summer months to irrigate your trees. Water your trees gently by using soaker hoses circled around the root base or by leaving a slowly running hose over several different spots around the root base. Kill off weeds and grasses near tree roots to avoid creating competition for water, and consider using mulch around the tree base to help retain moisture near the roots.
Bringing In a Professional Arborist
If your trees look particularly parched, you've had several years of drought, or you are concerned that a tree may be succumbing to disease due to drought stress, you should have a professional arborist or tree service come and inspect your trees to determine what course of action you should take for both the safety of your trees and the safety of your family. Your arborist or tree service can recommend ways to increase your tree's water absorption and to improve water retention, as well as provide vaccinations to boost your tree's immune system against certain threats. If necessary, your tree service professional may also recommend that the tree be removed for safety reasons or to encourage the health of other trees in the area.
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