5 Dry Climate Tree Care Tips for Homeowners

Dry weather can be ruinous for trees. Droughts and stretches of low precipitation can cause trees to have slow growth, browning, dead spots and even bark splitting. Right now, a lot of regions are being negatively affected by droughts, which is having a big impact on the flora of many regions. As a homeowner in a dry climate region, it is important to know some vital tree care tips that will keep your trees not only alive, but also thriving. Many trees have adapted to low precipitation, so you have evolution on your side, but there are still numerous efforts you can take. Here are some dry climate tree care tips for homeowners.

1. Water slow and deep. It is important to allow for maximum saturation when you water your trees. In a dry climate, water can very easily evaporate and make all of your efforts fruitless. However, if you water slow and deep, you can saturate the soil with water, so that it takes longer to evaporate and provides enough healthy moisture. To water slow and deep, you simply have to time yourself when you water the perimeter of each tree – the amount of time you spend will differ for each tree, depending on the size and species.
2. Never dig a trench around the tree for watering. Some people think that they have to dig a trench around their trees in order to reach the root line. However, this can be a big mistake – you can actually break up the soil and cause dryness to proliferate. Ideally, you want more soil around the perimeter of the tree because the key is to have as much soil saturation as possible. Not only that – digging trenches can cause root damage, especially if it is particularly warm outside.
3. Don’t water the leaves and branches directly. Many homeowners assume that a tree is thirsty or dry and they attempt to water the leaves directly. However, it is important to realize that this may actually damage to a tree. When you place water on the leaves, it causes the sun to absorb the moisture, which can actually cause bruising and browning of the leaves. In so many words, you can actually do more harm by watering the leaves.
4. Hire a landscape service to prune and trim. It is also important to have a healthy amount of growth in a dry climate. If you don’t trim and prune, it could cause the tree to contract a number of diseases. In order to prune and trim properly, you want to contact a specialized landscaping service, like Your Landscaping Solutions. It takes a special set of tools to properly trim and prune.
5. Recycle water. If you live in a region that is severely affected by drought – maybe your county is putting restrictions on water usage – you may want to think about installing a water recycling system, so that any surplus water used can be reused later. In the end, if you want to keep your trees looking beautiful, you want to find creative solutions to complicated problems.