Dry Summer Means More Watering Before Winter

By Phran Novelli

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - First it was cold and everything was running a month late, this year. Now some plants seem a month ahead of themselves - like my tree that dropped its leaves a month earlier than last year.

Last Halloween, it was full of golden leaves, whereas this fall, they turned yellow in September and the branches were bare by early October. It's an indicator tree – a sort of 'canary in a coal mine' that lets us know when we haven't had a lot of recent rain.

While there's water down in the water table and in reservoirs from winter snow and spring rain earlier in the year, this summer was really quite dry. This kind of dry weather doesn't usually kill an established tree, but some will drop their leaves early to save themselves.

But anything newly-planted this year — including trees, shrubs, and perennials — needs regular deep watering to get by until they can grow the long roots they need to find enough water on their own.

So, keep an eye on your plants to be sure they don't dry out. And let's hope we get more autumn rains to help out, before it's time to turn off the outside hose spigots to keep them from freezing.