#6 Way to Hurt Trees: Failing to Water

Photo above. This is a young tree. It may have been transplanted into this spot earlier this year.  Watering was needed but the property caretakers failed to water regularly or enough and so the tree is in final stages of decline.

Re-hydrating slowly

If you didn't drink water for even a day, you would become dehydrated; the cells of your body would lose some of their ability to take up water. When you would get water again, your cells might not re-hydrate right away.

Shock occurs in people from dehydration and something similar to shock occurs for trees when they are dehydrated; when they wilt.  Parts and inner functions are compromised with dehydration so they don't just recover immediately.

Older trees can suffer dehydration, too.

They have more more "body" mass that needs to receive water and carry food and nutrients to all of their parts.  Their leaf surface areas transpire--or lose--water in large amounts.  So they need a steady stream of water out to their drip line.

Give deep, slow, and long watering to big old trees in summer heat and/or drought.

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Please click to go to each of the Top 10 Ways to Hurt Trees

#10 Way to Hurt Trees: Pollution, litter, and dumping.

#9 Way to Hurt Trees:  Remove the leaves from the drip zone.

#8 Way to Hurt Trees: Wrong or inappropriate use of chemicals.

#7 Way to Hurt Trees: Poor transplanting.

#6 Way to Hurt Trees:  Failing to Water even mature trees in heat and drought.

#5 Way to Hurt Trees: Careless Practices and Injury

#4 Way to Hurt Trees: Cutting down nearby trees or disturbing the ecosystem.

#3 Way to Hurt Trees: Construction abuses.

#2 Way to Hurt Trees: Strangulation by ropes, ties, wires, etc.

#1 Way to Hurt Trees: Suffocation by burying roots under mulch, fill, planters, or regrading of land.

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Please check our sister website: PartnerWithNature.org.