Heat, Drought & Trees: The Solution
Tending to your trees during times of drought can be a difficult task. Luckily, tree drought preventative measures can be taken to ensure that your tree stays strong and healthy, even when faced with heat and low rainfall.
Watering your tree is essential, but can’t always be done efficiently or economically. A good tactic to keep your tree watered during times of drought is to invest in a drip irrigation system of some sort. Tubes can be attached to a tap or to your sprinkler to deliver water directly to the base of your tree, minimizing water loss. A more sustainable method that can be used by anyone, however, is to utilize a drip bag. These bags either wrap around the base of the tree or are hung next to it and slowly drip water over the course of several days. Essentially no water or energy is wasted using this method.
Setting up automatic watering systems is useful, but in times of drought, moisture in the soil is lost to the air and leaves your trees in a hard, dry, inhospitable soil. This can be prevented by covering the ground around your tree with organic fertilizers, mulches, composts, and topping it off with woodchips. These organic materials retain moisture and prevent the soil from drying out as quickly, meaning your tree stay hydrated.