Even when it's winter, water the landscape

CORPUS CHRISTI - The lack of rainfall in recent months is taking its toll on local landscapes. If frontal systems had been providing some precipitation, then winter watering is usually seldom needed, but this year is anything but normal. I've given up waiting to water for the next rainfall since we haven't seen significant precipitation for months. To keep the landscape healthy, it's time to either pull out the sprinklers or turn on the irrigation system.

Most susceptible are newly planted trees. If you have a tree that was planted in the past 24 months, you need to be giving it supplemental water during this drought. Deciduous trees are probably at the greatest disadvantage since they have dropped their leaves and don't look like they would need water. That may be true for older, established trees but not for the new kids on the block. Young trees simply have a very limited root system and need help to find sufficient water to stay healthy, especially during extended periods without rainfall.


A young tree that has only been in the ground about a year may still have a watering reservoir with a soil berm around it to help hold moisture near the root ball. If your tree still has the manmade bowl, then definitely fill that up once or twice each time you water. I would water a young tree once or twice a week to help promote root growth, even in winter.

If your tree has been in for more than a year, then you should remove the soil ring to allow more water to move beyond the original rootball and thus encourage root expansion beyond the hole you originally dug. Trees that are 2-5 years old can be watered using a water sprinkler at the base of the tree that makes a ring of water 6-10 feet from the trunk, making a circle that is 12-20 feet wide. That may seem excessive, but you need to keep a larger area watered to promote root growth.

If you have an older tree and you are worried about it not having enough water, then water your grass, and your neighbor's grass as well. Established trees have a broad root system that often extends two or three times beyond the dripline, providing a large area from which to draw moisture.


If you have annuals, then you have probably been watering and fertilizing them regularly to keep them looking good. Those areas should not be showing signs of drought damage.

Older established shrubs could benefit from some additional water, but your smaller perennials and tropicals are really the areas you need to consider watering. Tropicals like hibiscus and crotons are already stressed this time of year from temperatures yo-yoing. Many tender tropicals have dropped leaves due to low temperatures. If you don't keep these plants watered, then they suffer even more when temperatures do drop to the freezing mark.

Besides temperature stress, tropicals that still have leaves are also being stressed by high winds that are drawing water from the roots due to transpiration. The bottom line is that you should apply some water to flower beds to help your tropicals and perennials stay healthy even if you don't see visible signs of wilting.


Grass still needs some moisture during winter months. I know I've said to watch how much you water to prevent fungal problems, but if you have been relying on rainfall to keep your grass roots healthy and hydrated, then they probably are suffering right now. That doesn't mean you have to go back to watering every other day, but a good soaking irrigation every week or two will help to keep your grass healthy while dormant and will help it green up faster in the spring.

Luckily a winter drought is not as demanding on irrigation as a summer drought when additional water is lost to evaporation, plant growth will place additional demands for irrigation, and soaring temperatures increase a the transpiration cycle to keep them cool.


All flowerbeds should be mulched. It is a great time to add an extra couple of inches of organic cover to your flowerbeds since milder temperatures make the work a little easier.

If you don't have mulch around your young trees, then I would recommend applying a 2-4 inch deep layer of hardwood bark mulch 3-5 feet from the base. That is a larger area than most people mulch, but it will help your tree roots expand faster by eliminating competition from surrounding grass for water and nutrients. Also, when you apply mulch to the trees, don't make a mountain around the base of the tree, make a volcano and remove the mulch right at the base to protect the trunk.

Even older trees can benefit from mulch. If you planted your tree several years ago and it seems to be just sitting there, I challenge you to mulch a 10 feet diameter circle around your tree. As long as your tree doesn't have any damage to the trunk at the base, you should see significant additional growth over the next two or three years.
