Newspaper Article

Prune Dead Branches From Trees

A Garden Journal Donna Redman For the Journal

2002

Overview

Lots of trees have bare branches and sparse leaves. Whole limbs are dying on some of them. The other day I saw a yard where drip irrigation was delivering water to the base of a mature fruit tree, but the tree still had dead branches and yellowing leaves. \"A lot of trees are dying backward from the tips of branches inward and downward toward the living wood,\" he continued. \"I've seen a lot of trees with little tufts of leaves growing in patches instead of full leafing. These are clear signs of water stress.\" In another bulletin from New Mexico State, I read about experiments under way comparing the use of microsprinklers with flood irrigation in fruit orchards in New Mexico. So far, it looks like using microsprinklers under the trees uses 30 to 40 percent less water than flood irrigation. That concept can be used with urban trees by placing a sprinkler under the tree, near the trunk, and letting the water spray outward toward the drip line. The leaf canopy slows water loss to evaporation, the water droplets gradually soak into the soil rather than running off, and water is delivered to the zone where water-absorbing roots grow.

• Publisher: Albuquerque Publishing Company