Q. Our sweet bay laurel trees face East and are watered
by a drip irrigation system on a separate line for trees only. Obviously, these
trees are not doing well.
They
were originally 24” boxed trees planted in 2013. Our HOA contends they are
close to the end of their lives, and they will be removed. Any ideas?
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| Bay Laurel Trees HOA Wants to Remove |
A.
From the picture you sent (above) the leaves exposed to the heat of the sun are
scorching along the edges. This means not enough water is getting to them
either because there is not enough water supplied to the trees or there is
damage to the trunk or limbs.
Bay laurel trees struggle when
temperatures are very hot (over 105F) and there is very low humidity. Particularly if it is
windy. They are treated like desert trees, but they are not. They are a “mesic”
tree, not “xeric”, coming originally from the Mediterranean area of the world,
and not a true desert tree like the Palo Verdes, Desert Willow, Texas Mountain Laurel, or any trees native to our Southwest deserts.
Big trees use more water than smaller
trees
As trees get larger, they require more water. As these trees get larger
more drip emitters must be added to give them the water they need. You could
increase the number of minutes but then everything on that “line” or valve
would get an increase in water as well. There are other alternatives but adding
more drip emitters is the most common.
I would guess trees would need more water
applied (change in the water applied) every three or four years until they
reach maturity. It is better to add drip emitters to those plants getting
larger than just adding more time; either is a challenge for HOAs as the cost
of water increases and they are still trying to contain costs.
Ways to Reduce Trees Need for Water
There are three ways to reduce their need
for water; 1) reduce their size as well as and other large plants, 2) reduce the total
number of trees and shrubs, and 3) change over to desert native plants like I
mentioned above. Doing any of the three does not reduce water used. Water used,
irrigation, is a human landscape decision. Changes in irrigation
management, as well as monitoring water applied to the soil, must be done by
the landscapers.
In the desert all plants use water. Think of ways to beautify your landscape that does not
include water. We cannot have a landscape full of trees and shrubs in
the Mojave Desert. It doesn’t make sense. Plants must have a purpose if they get water.