Understanding Heat Stress

Understanding Heat Stress

By Walt Conrad on May, 16 2015

Stay up to date

Back to main Blog
Walt Conrad

Walt has extensive background in landscape design and trees and plants native to the Soutwest. He loves spending time in the nurseries and helping customers find solutions to their landscape problems.

What you need to know about heat stress in your trees and plants.

7526669

It’s a far too common site when you walk out in your yard during the hottest parts of the summer and see your plants, shrubs and even larger leafed trees wilting and looking like they are barely clinging to life. Fear not! You’re trees and plants have not succumbed to the summer heat.

What you are seeing is heat stress.

Just as trees and plants shed their leaves in the winter as a defense mechanism from the cold, your landscape is adapting to the heat and lengthy exposure to longer, sunnier days. As the heat and soil temperatures rise and moisture is being depleted plants will begin to droop and look wilted in an attempt to conserve water. 

So, what do you do when you see this happening? 

Examine your current watering frequency and depths. Properly watering your trees and plants will ensure that they have a water reservoir to pull from during the warmer summer months. Once you have made sure they are receiving enough water you’ll want to see how they have rebounded. After the heat has passed, usually around sunset, check to see if the leaves have perked back up or if they are still droopy. This effect will be much more pronounced on larger leafed type plants and trees as opposed to small, more native plants and tree species. If they continue to have appear droopy you may need to increase the frequency or depth of you watering.

Heat stress in trees and plants is fairly common, especially in the arid deserts of Arizona and Nevada. The number one suspect in many cases is insufficient watering. They may not be being watered enough or to the proper depth.

It’s important to always remember that your trees and plants are growing, living and constantly evolving. They have natural defense mechanisms to aide their health as the seasons change. So, when you see changes in your landscape don’t fret! A majority of the time you can resolve it yourself with a little research and water.

Be sure to check out our latest post on how to properly gauge your watering depth for your trees and plants. You can also stop by or call any of our locations and speak with one of our certified nursery experts.

See you at the Moon! 


Share On:

Submit a Comment

Get the latest tips & advice sent directly in your inbox, stay up to date