The Best Ways To Help Your Tree Survive a Dry Season

If you have trees in your yard, you may want to do anything possible to ensure they thrive and stay healthy. Although many trees are hardy, drought-resistant, and low-maintenance, they still may require increased attention during a dry season. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or you’re just beginning your journey, you should know some of the best ways to help your tree survive a dry season despite undesirable conditions.

Apply Mulch to the Ground

If your tree doesn’t already have mulch around its base, you should consider applying 1–3 inches to the ground around the trunk and expand about as far as the tree’s canopy. Interestingly, mulch protects the root system and helps retain moisture. During a dry season, you need as much help as you can get when it comes to water. This way, less water will evaporate into the air between waterings.

Avoid Pruning During This Time

When your tree is healthy and thriving, pruning is an effective way to encourage new growth. However, it may make your tree vulnerable and add extra stress, which isn’t a huge issue for a healthy tree. On the other hand, pruning during the dry season can put trees at risk for health issues or death because the tree has to put so much energy toward sealing off the freshly pruned sections.

Water the Tree Directly

Although the rest of your yard and garden most likely needs water in a dry season, your trees should get special attention. You may think using a sprinkler to water your entire yard casually during a dry season is enough, but you should be watering your tree directly. Unfortunately, you won’t soak the roots entirely by using a sprinkler—apply water directly to the tree’s base instead.

Don’t Apply Fertilizer

Fertilizer is usually a good thing, but not in this case. In a drought, your trees aren’t lacking nutrients; they’re lacking water. With that said, applying fertilizer to your trees may draw more moisture from the roots and cause more damage. Therefore, avoid using fertilizer during the dry season to give your plants and trees time to recover before adding nutrients.

Now that you know the best ways to help your tree survive a dry season, you can search for peach trees for sale without worrying that you can’t care for them. Trees are beautiful, helpful additions to your property—don’t let the fear of caring for plants keep you from gardening.