Watering Your Trees in Summer

We often water our plants and lawn but forget that trees need water too! Watering trees may be necessary during summer’s hot, dry weather, especially if your trees are young or newly planted.

Trees need an average of one inch of water per week. When watering trees, deeper, less frequent water applications promote better root growth than shallow, more-frequent irrigation.

Young trees haven’t yet grown an extensive network of roots. That’s why they can’t store much water and need water more often. Young trees should be watered once or twice a week in dry weather. Approximately 20 gallons of water per week are recommended.

In times of drought, when it hasn’t rained for a month or more, even large, mature trees will need watering. You can plan to water mature trees 2 – 3 times a month if they are well established.

The best way to water trees is to slowly water them for a long time in the morning or evening so the roots have time to absorb the moisture from the soil as it soaks down. The roots that absorb the water aren’t deep. Roots spread out sideways; most are just a foot beneath the soil’s surface. On a mature tree, roots extend far in all directions, so focus on watering the area beneath the branches.

Effects of High Temperatures on Trees

Prolonged heat and improper summer irrigation can cause permanent damage to your trees, creating potential hazards that pose a risk to your home and property.

Don’t wait until it’s too late to observe your tree’s signs of drought stress. Often insects and pathogens will attack trees that are already weak. Proper deep root watering is the best way to establish your tree’s root system for long-term plant health.

There are some signals to help you spot signs of early stress. If your tree’s leaves are dying off, wilting, or showing folded or crispy leaves, those are signs of a problem. You may still be able to take measures to restore the overall health of your tree.

Other Signs of Irrigation Stress Include:

Leaf wilting, curling, or folding
Leaf scorch
Needle drop in conifers
Canopy die-off of main branches or new growth
Insect or disease Issues
Premature fall color on leaves
Leaning or wilting new branches

Watering too much or too little can be harmful. Don’t overdo your watering, as it could cause insect or disease issues.

Let us know if we can help take care of your trees this summer. Give us a call at 360-574-4125.

June Landscaping and Pruning

June Tree Landscaping and Pruning

Summer is nearly here and everything is lush and green! It’s the right time to just enjoy the garden, while keeping up on landscaping and pruning maintenance. We have a few tips for you, this June, to keep your landscape healthy and gorgeous.

Pruning:

tree pruning While pruning is the most common tree maintenance project, we don’t recommend doing any heavy pruning in summer, as any high temperatures can damage freshly pruned trees & plants. We always want to keep the nature of the tree in mind – incorrect pruning can permanently damage or kill the tree’s life.

However, the start of summer is a good time to do minor pruning of flush growth, to help trees & plants keep their shape during this time of increased growth. This is especially applicable to evergreen conifers, whether they are trees or shrubs. This minor pruning helps maintain overall health, without harming the core of the plant. Our maintenance team can come out to help you with this type of pruning and to spruce up your yard while they’re at it.

Routine, proper pruning to remove dead, diseased or weak limbs can happen any time of the year without harming the tree. It is necessary for safety, clearance and overall landscape planning. Get an estimate by clicking here.

Irrigation:

As the warm weather starts, now is the perfect time to get your system started on for the year. residential irrigation Vancouver WA As summer goes on, trees depend on homeowners more and more for water. It’s important to take care of your trees and shrubs with proper watering.

The amount of water a tree needs depends on a variety of factors – age, species, time of year, weather and soil type. New trees need more watering than older ones, but as it gets warmer, all trees will need extra watering. You’ll need to find the balance between enough water to keep younger trees growing, and older trees healthy. You don’t want your trees & shrubs to be dependent on irrigation – they need to be able to survive on what mother nature provides.

A good irrigation system can be adjusted, based on rainfall, so you can tailor it to the weather. Start now to get on a regular schedule by the end of June. July, August, and September are generally very dry months. Hopefully, by now you have had your backflow testing and any repairs done – if not contact us soon to get prompt service.

Weeding:

weeding Getting rid of weeds is always at the top of everyone’s spring/summer garden care priorities. If you don’t start removing weeds now, you’ll spend all summer trying to get rid of them. Everything is having a growth spurt right now, including the weeds. They can be left over ones from last year, or new ones that sprouted in cool weather. Either way – get rid of them now. It seems like every few hours, some new ones are popping up. Try to dig out the entire plant, including the roots, and pull them up BEFORE they make seeds. They’ll be easier to remove before the ground gets harder when the weather gets drier. If it gets out of control, or you just need a little professional help, our maintenance team is on the job!