The Dalles Beautification Tree Committee Offers Ways to Keep Your Trees Healthy This Summer
From The Dalles Beautification Tree Committee:
By Izetta Grossman
The Dalles, OR. Aug 14, 2023-- Our landscape trees are suffering in our drought.
While most of us are good about deep watering recently planted trees, in general, mature trees do fine with just lawn sprinklers or benign neglect. Not this summer! We are in a drought here in The Dalles, with barely four inches of rain since the beginning of this year, a lot of high temps, and desiccating wind. Many of our residential trees are in trouble and may slowly die without extra water this summer.
Look for signs of drought stress. Leaves on trees suffering from drought stress might wilt, curl, turn yellow, brittle, or start to drop prematurely. On deciduous trees, look for scorching, brown edges or browning between veins. On evergreens, needles might turn yellow, red, purple, or brown. Drought stress might not cause the instantaneous death of a tree, but it weakens the overall health, paving the way for secondary insects or disease infestations in the following years.
Many of our trees about town, in yards and other spaces are showing these subtle and not-so-subtle signs of drought. It’s very worrisome. We need our trees! One neighbor’s maple tree suddenly dropped a multitude of leaves that filled my driveway as if it were fall. Other trees have brown sections throughout The Dalles, on private and public properties.
When watering trees, shrubs, and other landscape plants, remember that they absorb water and nutrients through their roots, most of which are in the upper 1 to 2 feet of soil.
What to do:
Add Mulch Around Your Trees
Natural, wood chip mulch is one of the best ways to save water and can keep your trees healthy. A thick layer of mulch on top of the soil around your tree will keep moisture in the soil and protect the roots from extreme temperatures, so you use less water and your trees stay happy!
Keep mulch 4 inches away from the trunk, spread it 4 feet in diameter (or out to the drip line if possible), and pile it 6 inches deep.
Check the Soil
How do you know if it's time to water your tree? Check the soil!
Use a small shovel or screwdriver to check the soil 6-8 inches below the surface near the drip line. If the soil feels dry and crumbly, it's time to water your tree with a slow soak.
Water needs to reach the roots of your tree, which are located 12-28 inches below the surface. Because the root zone extends as a tree grows, young trees and mature trees need different watering techniques.
Watering Young Trees (1-5 years after planting) The roots of a young tree are mostly located near the trunk and grow 12-18 inches below the surface.
A young tree needs 10-15 gallons of water per week. Slowly soak the area near the base of the tree 2-3 times per week with 5 gallons each time.
You can use:
A hose on a slow trickle
A sprinkler attachment on a hose near the base of the tree A soaker hose The bucket method -- Drill a small hole (1/8") near the bottom of a large bucket and place it near the trunk of your young tree. Fill it with water from your hose, once or twice a week.The water will slowly drain out. Test your moisture level to determine how often.
Watering Mature Trees (5+ years after planting) The roots of a mature tree extend underground even wider than the branches extend above ground. Adding water near the trunk of a mature tree will not reach the roots.
Slowly soak the area throughout the root zone for several hours to reach the roots 12-18 inches below the surface.
You can use:
A soaker hose beginning a few feet from the trunk and spiraled outward toward the drip line An oscillating sprinkler on a low setting moved to various locations through the root zone
