As the summer heat peaks in August, trees across our landscapes feel the pressure. Heat stress and drought can significantly affect both young and mature trees. When temperatures rise and rainfall becomes scarce, trees struggle to retain moisture and maintain healthy functions.

How to Spot Heat Stress: The most common signs of heat stress include wilting or curling leaves, early leaf drop, scorched leaf edges, and overall canopy thinning. In severe cases, entire branches may become brittle or die back. Trees with shallow root systems, like maples or dogwoods, are especially vulnerable.

What You Can Do: Proper watering is essential. A slow, deep soak once or twice a week is more effective than frequent shallow watering. Adding mulch around the base of your tree (but not touching the trunk) helps retain soil moisture and regulate temperature. Avoid pruning during extreme heat as it may add additional stress to the tree.

At Galaxy Tree Service, we offer soil moisture assessments and can recommend custom care plans to keep your trees hydrated and thriving through the hottest part of the year.

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When temperatures soar, your trees can suffer. While they’re built to handle the seasons, summer heat and drought can stress even the healthiest trees. Here’s how to protect your landscape during the peak of summer.

1. Water Wisely: Water deeply and infrequently, preferably early in the morning. A slow soak ensures moisture reaches the roots, where it’s needed most.

2. Apply Mulch: A 2-4 inch layer of mulch around the base of the tree (but not touching the trunk) helps retain soil moisture and reduce temperature fluctuations.

3. Avoid Summer Pruning: Unless it’s an emergency (like storm damage), save major pruning for dormant seasons to avoid additional stress.

4. Fertilize if Needed: Light fertilization may help trees recover from early-season stress, but always consult with an arborist to avoid overfeeding.

5. Watch for Signs of Stress: Wilting leaves, browning edges, or early leaf drop are all red flags. Call in an expert for an assessment if you notice these symptoms.

Galaxy Tree Service offers full summer tree care, including health checkups and customized watering and protection plans. Call us today at (855) 648-7337 or visit www.galaxytree.com.

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