New England’s drought worsened in November. As the map from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows, conditions have not been improved by our November rains, and extreme drought now covers more of the region than a month ago. Areas in red are more than ten inches below normal in rainfall for 2016; gold areas are down between eight and ten inches.
What should you do now? If a plant’s roots are dry, it will be much
less able to withstand winter. Because the ground is still not yet frozen, you
can help your plants: using a hose or bucket, thoroughly soak the root zone of
every tree or shrub you have planted during the past two years. (Be
sure to create a ring around the tree of mulch or soil to hold the water in
place so it does not run off). Ideally, you need to put ten gallons on each shrub over two or three waterings, and up to
twenty gallons on each tree. In four or
five days, repeat the process. The goal
is to fill the roots and branches (and, on evergreens, the leaves) with as much
water as possible before the ground freezes in December. Watering after the ground has frozen will do
no good.
In December, after you have
watered all your woody plants, spray the branches of them with Wilt-Pruf or
another product designed to prevent the loss of moisture from the buds on
deciduous trees and shrubs (those that lose their leaves), and on the leaves and
needles of your evergreen trees and shrubs.
Again, this keeps them from drying out during the winter. Once the ground has frozen, they cannot take
up more water and need to hold on to what they have. Spray only when the temperature is above 40
degrees and try to repeat monthly through the winter.
