Click here to read a wonderful article in the New York Times about why trees are so important.

Drought News

Click here to read the Houston Chronicle article regarding the drought.

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KUHF interview

Channel 11 interview

Fox 26 Interview

KPRC Interview

Water Conservation

City of Houston Water Conservation Policy:
- Repair all detectable leaks within 72 hours of discovery.

-Limit outdoor irrigation to the hours between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. and NO more than two days per week.

-Watering schedule: Sundays and Thursdays for customers with even numbered street addresses and Saturdays and Wednesdays for customers with odd addresses.

City of Galveston Policy:
- Due to extreme drought conditions, which are predicted to continue for the forseeable future, municipalities that draw water from the Brazos River Basin are now required to prohibit all outdoor watering so that adequate quantities of drinking water can be maintained.

Tips for watering trees during this time:
- On the days you are able to water your trees, remember to water deeply to a depth of about 12 inches below the soil surface and slowly to disperse the flow of water to get down into the roots.

-Saturate the soil around the tree within the "dripline" (the outer edges of the tree's branches) to disperse water towards the roots.

- Do not dig holes in the ground in an effort to water deeply. This dries out roots even more. A soil needle or deep root feeder attached to a hose is acceptable to insert into the ground if it isn't too hard and compact.

- Do not spray water on the canopy of the tree, this is inefficient and should be avoided during the drought.

-Judicious watering. Trees need a deep, thorough soaking once a week during the growing season. A watering schedule that is adequate to maintain a lawn will not maintain a tree. A rule of thumb during a drought is to give small, one-year old trees 28 gallons of water per week, two-year olds 56 gallons a week and three year olds 112 gallons.

-Remove weeds and grass, which compete for water, beneath trees and replacing with a two or three inch cover of mulch.

Prioritizing watering needs for different types of trees:

- The first trees to consider watering are those that will be most vulnerable and affected by dry conditions.

- Newly planted and young trees (1-7” diameter) are not yet established and have a limited root system. These trees generally need supplemental water even when we are not experiencing drought conditions. Generally it will take one full year per inch of trunk diameter to get established. Ex. It will take 3 years for a 3” caliper tree to establish itself.

- Trees growing within a restricted root zone. Examples are trees adjacent to a driveway or house, growing within a landscape strip between your sidewalk and the street, growing in a median or traffic circle.

- Trees that have recently received root injury due to construction work will need supplemental watering because the root system has been compromised.

Listed below are tree maintenance procedures that can significantly increase a tree’s chance of making it through drought periods:

 - Mulch around your trees with 4 inches of organic mulch to reduce moisture loss. 

- Use wood chips, shredded bark, leaves or evergreen needles as mulch – avoid the use of stone or rock near trees as this increases air temperatures and moisture loss from leaves and stems.

- Pull back mulch 6” from the trunk of the tree.

- Do not fertilize a tree that is under drought stress. Salts in fertilizer may burn roots when there is not sufficient water. Fertilizers may also stimulate top growth resulting in too much leaf area on the plant for the root system to maintain during periods of limited soil moisture.

- Keep your trees healthy and pest free. Postpone any construction activities planned near your tree to reduce impact to the trees’ roots. If your tree has any insect or disease problem that may be adding additional stress – treat them accordingly to reduce the overall stress to your trees.

What does a tree under “drought stress” looks like?

- Symptoms of drought injury to trees can be sudden or may take up to two years to be revealed. Drought injury symptoms on tree leaves include wilting, curling at the edges, and yellowing.

-Deciduous leaves may develop scorch, brown outside edges or browning between veins.

- Evergreen needles may turn yellow, red or purple. They may also turn brown at the tips of the needles and browning may progress through the needle towards the twig.

- Often times, drought stress may not kill a tree outright, but set it up for more serious secondary insect and disease infestations in following years.