How to care for your yard in a drought
I just watched the June 14, 2021 episode and they had the Morton Arboretum on talking about plant care during the ongoing drought in the Chicago area. (I had no idea we were in a drought! Who knew? Didn’t it rain Saturday?) You can watch it here. If you own property with a yard it could be worth it to make sure all your plants and trees don’t get permanently damaged – or worse – die.
Here are links to Morton Arboretum Drought care Drought stress How and when to water Tree and plant advice plantclinic@mortonarb.org
How to care for your yard in a drought – Key points (please read all the linked material for best outcome)
When watering trees, shrubs, and other landscape plants, they absorb water and nutrients through their roots, most of which are in the upper 1-2 feet of soil. The goal is to keep plant roots moist, but not wet. Constantly saturated conditions also can damage roots.
Trees and shrubs: Water trees and shrubs during extremely dry soil conditions. If you have to choose, water your trees and not the grass since grass will turn green again when water is available. Don’t forget to water parkway trees owned by the City.
COTC note: ; If your tree(s) die not only is it expensive to replace but it can reduce the value of your property.
Drought-sensitive trees and plants: Magnolias, Japanese maples, dogwoods, beeches, larches, tulip trees, and birches. Hydrangeas also suffer during dry weather because they’re shallow-rooted and therefore drought-sensitive.
Grass: grass will turn green again when water is available. If you’re conserving water don’t water your lawn.
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