Watering Can Stop Watering Garden Flowers Tres In Fall Davey Tree

When To Stop Watering Your Garden In Fall: Essential Tips For Winter Prep

As fall arrives, it’s time to retire summer gear, but don’t forget your garden hose! While summer plants crave water in the heat, winter presents its own hydration challenges. Snow and ice can leave roots parched, making pre-winter watering crucial. But too much water in cold soil can harm plants.  

So, when should you stop watering trees, perennials, and annuals? Keep watering trees until the ground freezes, usually in late fall, and flowers until the temperatures dip below 40°F. Ensure your plants get just the right amount of moisture to stay healthy through winter.  

Oak Wilt

Signs Of Drought Stress In Trees

Signs of drought (or heat stress) will be the most visible in the foliage. Look for these common symptoms:

  • Leaf wilt or leaves that start to curl
  • Scorched, gray-tinted leaves
  • Leaf loss
  • Thinning canopy
  • Branches drying out and dying
  • Wood-boring insects
  • Pine tree discoloration: Pines turn grayish-green color and then turn into rust once dead

What not to do during a drought:

  • Water on windy or rainy days
  • Over-water
  • Adjust sprinklers to aim at the trunk of trees, which may cause trunk cankers or lead to root-rot diseases

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Drought Tree

How To Help Your Trees Survive Dry Conditions

Trees recovering from a harsh winter, temporarily coping with heat stress, or lacking a seasonal substitute for an irrigation system, can benefit from subsurface watering.

Consider subsurface watering for:

  • Trees and shrubs without irrigation systems
  • Newly planted trees
  • Temporary relief of heat stress, especially on large, mature trees
  • Evergreen trees at risk from winter drying conditions
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