There are more than 50 differant trees native to the forest of the southeastern part of the United States.
Pines are evergreen while most of the other trees are deciduous. Some of these trees make their way into home lawns and gardens. The native trees are easier to deal with in a drought than the hybrids and imported trees because they adjust to the changes and have built-in ways of conserving water.
Trees native to the area conserves water by closing the stomato (pores) under the leaves. This keeps the plant from releasing moisture. If the drought last a long time the tree will go dormant and the leaves will wilt, turn brown and fall off.They are more likely to get diseases in a drought sotuation. Trees that have layered branches such as the pine and magnolia are more drought tolerant than the canopy trees because the top branches protect the bottom branches from the sun, thus conserving water.
Soils in the southeastern part of the United States go from hard clay, to rich black loam and sandy soils along the coast. Three inches of rain on the clay can cause a deluge while the sand will absorb it like a sponge. The clay will hold water for a long time but the sand will dry completely in a week wothout rain.
Before watering a tree, apply mulch under the tree all the way to the drip line. The drip line is where the outer branches of the tree stop. Do not layer the mulch against the trunk. A mature tree needs three inches of water a week. Use a lawn sprinkler and water at night or early in the morning. Water until there is a depth of three inches of wet soil. Keep a record of how much water the tree gets from watering and rain. Over-watering can be as harmful as under watering.
Water is essential to a tree. Trees are made up of 70 to 90 percent water. Photosynthesis starts with water. Lack of water stress may show up instantly or take years to surface. If you have a tree that’s lost it’s leaves. Don’t touch it until spring. It may be going natural drought stress dormancy.It may make a springtime recovery.
. Alabama Extension Service Trees going dormant because of extreme drought
University of Florida Extension Coping with drought in the landscape