Drought and Trees
On young, newly planted trees, I am seeing the drying up of leaves and the browning of leaves. It is critical on newly planted trees that they are watered properly and watered well.
Watering guide on small, newly planted trees. During the drought conditions that we are in, the average water requirements to establish a one-gallon size plant are:
Week 1 - water daily,
Week 2-3 - water every two days,
Week 4-6 - water twice per week,
Week 7-12 - water once per week.
Following the initial few months following the above schedule, water weekly until plants are fully established. At each watering, apply between 1 and 2 gallons of water per inch of trunk diameter (i.e. 2-4 gallons for a two inch tree). Never water if the rootball is saturated, and fertilizing during establishment period does not improve survival rates.
After the initial first two months, you see that you water less frequently and water enough to cause the water to seep into the soil deep so that the roots will seek a deeper depth. Ideally water needs to be applied slowly over a sufficient period of time to allow the water to soak deep into the soil.
Mulching of young trees should be done also at a depth of 2-4 inches to conserve moisture, reduce environmental stress and keep weeds, lawnmowers and weed-eaters away.
The Top Five Common Mistakes in Landscape Planting (adopted from “Landscape Design” by Dr. Greg Davis)
Mistake 1 - Over-planting. Small trees and shrubs are often planted too close together to get a full or complete look. This results in a crowded landscape several years later.
Solution – Don’t start out with an instant landscape. Find out the mature size of trees and plants and give them room and time to grow.
Mistake 2 - Lawn areas are cluttered with trees and shrubs. Plants in this situation appear unorganized and become a high maintenance problem.
Solution – Group shrubs and trees in mulched plant beds bordering the lawn.
Mistake 3 – Shrubs around the home are too tall. When this happens windows become covered up and no longer enhance the home's appearance. This often leads to shearing to control plant size. This often leads to a weakened and disfigured shrub.
Solution – Select plants with an ultimate mature size that fits their location. Instead of shearing, selectively clip stray shoots to keep the plant neat and full.
Mistake 4 – Plants are planted too close to the house. These plants look cramped and create a maintenance nightmare, especially when it’s time to repair or paint. This also can cause insect problems in and around the home.
Solution – Foundation or corner shrubs should be planted half their mature width plus one foot away from the chain wall. Therefore, a shrub that will grow to be five feet wide should be planted 3.5 feet (2.5 + 1) feet away from the house.
Mistake 5 – Bright colors are scattered throughout the yard. Brightly colored foliage, flowers or fruit attract attention. When brilliant color is scattered along the foundation or elsewhere around the yard, it confuses and may overwhelm the viewer.
Solution – Concentrate color where accent is desired. The goal is to attract attention to focal areas of the house.
Question: We are getting a lot of holes in the yard and flower bed from armadillos. How do we control them?
Answer: Over the last 2 months I have had numerous calls about armadillos. 90% of their diet is insects, so they are digging for grubs, bugs and spiders to eat. You can put out a granular insecticide in those areas to kill insects. This will only make armadillos go elsewhere.
Armadillos can be trapped using over-ripe or spoiled fruit as a bait or fetid meat or mealworms. I have a flyer that you can call for or come by and pick up. It talks about armadillos and how to trap them.