GARDENING BY THE MOON
WET ROOTS = YELLOWING TREES!
One of the questions I often receive from homeowners is “Why do my newly planted street trees turn yellow”? Much of this yellowing is caused by the poorly drained, highly alkaline, calcareous (clay), high pH, compacted soils in this part of Texas. That is a mouthful! But most homeowners think the yellowing is due to lack of fertilizer and not enough water. Over watering and too much fertilizer can complicate this yellowing.
When I am on site and examining these yellow trees, I have found that most are over-watered. The constant over-watering damages the roots to a point that it impairs the plant’s ability to take up and transport plant nutrients. Once this reaches a critical point for the trees, limbs start to yellow and then die.
The best plan of action is to probe the soil around your tree. If it is staying consistently wet, reduce the water run times and days. If your tree has both drip and bubblers, turn of the bubblers or at least turn them down until the tree dries out. Monitor the tree closely so as not to underwater the tree. Symptoms of under-watering would be that the soil feels dry, leaves are wilted and the tips of leaves turn brown.
If you have been monitoring your tree for moisture and making sure it is not too wet, try doing the following for your tree:
· Fertilize the tree with the Harvest fertilizer. Apply ½ pound per inch trunk diameter spread evenly from trunk out to drip line.
· Apply Ironite around the tree to help with iron deficiency. Apply at the rate of 2 pounds per tree and then water in.
· Add Sulfur around the tree to lower the soil pH. Apply at the rate of 2 pounds per tree and then water in.
Trying to determine if a tree is being watered correctly is always difficult but probing the soil will provide the best answer to tree water needs!