As the extreme and relenting summer heat continues here in North Texas, your trees/plants will likely express water stress symptoms. Under normal conditions, plant foliage is puffy or swollen.
As plant water needs surpass available soil moisture, trees may begin to wilt or sag. If supplemental water is not provided, they eventually begin to brown and dieback along the edges of the leaves (i.e., marginal necrosis). When this occurs on individual branches of trees, it is sometimes referred to as “flagging.”
What Is Flagging Foliage?
Flagging foliage is a term used to describe the dieback of leaves/needles on individual branches that are readily seen even from a distance and indicate an issue. However, this can also be associated with insect, mechanical, or even squirrel damage, so careful inspection is sometimes required.
Different Stages Of Flagging Foliage
Leaves Damage
So how do we know when we should provide supplemental irrigation to our trees or if it may be too late? When only individual leaves on a few branches begin to turn brown and curl, as seen in the image of the Japanese maple below, the issue is only mild and can be corrected.
Limb Damage
In the image of the Leyland cypress below, you can see that an entire limb (yellow circle) is beginning to “flag.” It is off-color and beginning to wilt. While the whole tree is not likely to die, this particular limb may need to be removed.
Irreversible Damage
The young arborvitae in the pot is almost thoroughly dried and necrotic. This tree has lost too much foliage and cannot be restored even with supplemental irrigation.
Get In Touch With Experts For Efficient Evaluation
TreeTech can provide supplemental irrigation and add essential nutrients directly into your trees’ root zones to assist your valuable landscape thrive through the remainder of this hot summer.
Whether it is new planting (as seen with the young hollies seen below) or if you have older established trees that you are concerned about. Call TreeTech today to conduct a site evaluation and protect your green investment!
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