Green Man Tree & Landscape Services

Tree Services Waukesha and Milwaukee | Waukesha and Milwaukee Landscaping | Tree Removal and Mulch

Tree Services Milwaukee | Milwaukee Landscaping | Tree Removal and Mulch

Monday, July 29, 2013

Tree Care during a drought | Waukesha Tree Care

Tree care during a drought in Waukesha and other areas
  • Water is one of the most important things trees need. Trees take in water by their roots but many people water the leaves of their trees, creating an environment for disease. Instead, adjust sprinkler heads down to water the soil. Some sprinkler heads may need the nozzle changed to a flat spray.
  • Do not water near the trunk unless you’ve planted the tree within the last four or five years. Instead, water the area under the drip-line (edge of the branches) where the tree’s root system extends.
  • Water slowly, this allows water to adhere to soil particles on its way down. Soaker hoses and drip irrigation work well.
  • Mulch is a gardener’s best friend. A three to four inch layer of wood chips spread on bare ground will reduce water evaporation, insulate roots from heat, keep the weeds away, and give a home to beneficial microorganisms.
  • Avoid over-fertilizing your trees or you may find that sap-sucking insects such as aphids, white fly and scale are paying you a warm weather visit. Pest populations, including insects and disease, increase rapidly with warmer weather. Keep things in balance and you’ll reduce your problems.
  • Mature trees: We often take our large trees for granted and forget that they can decline in health during extended drought. Most people don’t realize the tree is in trouble because symptoms appear first in the top center portion of the canopy far from view.
  • Do not prune live branches in a severe drought. Removing live tissues forces the tree to expend energy to defend against the pruning cuts. Removing live foliage also reduces the capacity of the tree to grow once rains return.
  • Do not fertilize trees in extended drought since this pulls water from the roots and forces the tree to expend precious energy to process the fertilizer.
  • Do not dig under the canopy of the tree in drought. Digging under the tree kills the small roots that absorb water, thus reducing the tree's capacity to uptake water.
Green Man Tree & Landscape Services Serving Waukesha and Surrounding areas 414-301-9807 https://thegreenmancompany.com WaukeshaTree Services, Tree Removal, Mulch, Landscaping and wood products. All trees & wood by-products removed from your property will be reused to make fine furniture, firewood or re-purposed into high quality compost and soil for gardeners.