As I write this, a cold thin snow cover still hides the ground, but it won’t last long. If we’re lucky, the snow will slowly melt and seep into the soil; if we aren’t lucky, it will sublimate right into the atmosphere – straight from solid to gas. Alas, the roots of our trees lie in the dry desert soil, waiting for water.
It’s always that way, here in the arid Southwest. Our soil, lacking in moisture, also lacks living and dead organic matter. The water that falls on our land either falls infrequently, too little or too much all at once. Still, the plants and trees persist. It is up to us, the human caretakers of these places and trees, to do whatever we reasonably can to provide them with what they need to survive.
Sounds kinda doom-and-gloom, you say? It does! This year promises to be very dry and likely very hot. We all need to do our part to conserve water, and yet we want to keep those established trees healthy and help recently planted trees get established. So, what to do?
It turns out that the two best things we can do are relatively simple. We can reasonably and regularly irrigate the trees (more details below) and apply a layer of coarse organic material as a mulch over the root zone of our trees.
Since every tree in every yard is different, how often you’ll need to water your trees largely depends on how quickly water moves through the soil. In sandy and gravelly areas (Westside and Foothills), the water passes through the soil quickly, moving past the tree roots. These types of soil need watering more often but with less water each time.
Here is how to do it: Water long enough that after a day, when the water has soaked in, the soil has been moistened about 16-24 inches deep. Poke a thin piece of metal (a long screwdriver or something similar will work) into the ground and see how deep you can push it in. That will tell you approximately how deep the water penetrated the soil.
Do this in a broad area, focusing not on the trunk but on the part of the ground under the outer half of the canopy and maybe a bit beyond the drip line (edge of the canopy). Feel the soil with your fingers to determine when to water again. You don’t want to let the soil completely dry out between irrigations! Also, pay attention to the leaves, noticing if they are full and flush or droopy and tired.
The best way to water soil that has more clay in it is to irrigate less often but with more water. This kind of soil holds more water, but that water moves slowly. Be careful not to overwater, especially near the trunk. Too much water in the soil interferes with root function and can more easily lead to root rot and decay issues. Concentrate the water in the outer half, and also in a bit of the canopy shadow, all the way around the tree.
Wood chips, which can be obtained from a tree service or a local vendor, are the ideal mulch for trees. No matter what soil type and irrigation pattern you have, putting approximately three inches of wood chip mulch directly on the soil does wonders for your trees. As with any mulch, wood chips cover and cool the soil and reduce evaporation. As the chips decay, they foster the development of a forest-like soil ecosystem, which is just what tree roots really benefit from. Think of the ground surface in a forest — bits and pieces of old trees, slowly decaying at the surface. Add a new layer of mulch every couple of years, and watch your trees thrive!
Other mulches, like pine bark chips or pecan shells, are not quite as good as wood chips. Rock mulch is not a good choice. It absorbs sunlight and releases that energy as heat that rises through the tree’s canopy and strips even more precious moisture from stressed leaves.
Did you know that the Water Utility Authority will help cover the cost of some of this work? Through the Treebate program, they will offset a portion of the cost of certain purchases — such as new trees — and activities such as pruning and other maintenance work, soil improvements through compost and mulch and even some irrigation costs. Check out tree recommendations and all the program details here.
With our hot summers and low precipitation, growing vegetables in NM can be challenging. This talk will provide strategies and recommendations for growers to cultivate a thriving vegetable harvest in the region. Discussion will include irrigation and infrastructure suggestions, as well as selection of vegetable varieties that are well-adapted to the area.
Instructor:Stephanie Walker, PhD. Professor and Vegetable Specialist, New Mexico State University, Extension Plant Sciences Department.
Maintaining Tree Health During Drought
Learn from Albuquerque’s leading tree expert how to identify drought stress in trees, understand their responses to drought, and implement strategies to keep them alive and thriving in hot, dry weather.
Instructor:Joran Viers, Board Certified Master Arborist and Municipal Specialist, International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). Senior Arborist, Legacy Tree Company, Albuquerque. Former City Forester, City of Albuquerque
Creating a Drought-Tolerant Refuge for Yourself and Wildlife
Instructor:Laurel Ladwig, M.S. She is the ABQ Backyard Refuge Program Director for the Friends of Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, a part-time faculty member in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, and Associate Director of the R.H. Mallory Center for Community Geography at the University of New Mexico and is enthusiastic about all opportunities to encourage people to develop a relationship with our wild neighbors.
Designing Resilient Landscapes: Plant Adaptations, Communities, and Selection for Arid Environments
Instructor:Maria Thomas is the Curator of Plants at the ABQ BioPark where she manages the botanical exhibits, plant collections, horticultural staff, and related programs for the 150-acre public park and garden. Additionally, Maria is an Adjunct Professor at the University of New Mexico in the Landscape Architecture department.
Climate-Ready Trees- Planting for a Warmer and (Hopefully) Shadier Future
Instructor:Marisa Y. Thompson, PhD Extension Urban Horticulture Specialist. New Mexico State University Department of Extension Plant Sciences, Los Lunas Agricultural Science Center, Think Trees NM, President of the Board (2023-current).
Plant Adaptations to Heat & Drought
Noticing the Ways Plants Thrive in our Yards and Natural Areas Learn how to Recognize Drought-Adapted Traits in Everyday Plants all Around Us.
Instructor:Marisa Y. Thompson, PhD Extension Urban Horticulture Specialist. New Mexico State University Department of Extension Plant Sciences, Los Lunas Agricultural Science Center, Think Trees NM, President of the Board (2023-current).
Hose Bib Tree Irrigation System for Your Trees: Simple Systems for Thriving Trees!
Instructor:Richard Perce has twenty years’ experience working with trees and irrigation here in New Mexico. He is a former certified arborist and currently holds the Irrigation Association’s Landscape Irrigation Auditor certification and is a certified QWEL irrigation instructor. He worked as a landscape contractor for more than a decade and is the Water Authority’s former Irrigation Efficiency Specialist. He also has a Masters of Community and Regional Planning from UNM and currently works at Anthropopulus Design + Planning.
Passive Rainwater Harvesting
This workshop introduces participants to the principles and practices of passive rainwater harvesting. Attendees will learn how to capture, slow, spread, and infiltrate rainwater into the landscape using simple, low-cost methods such as swales, berms, and basins. The workshop emphasizes working with the natural flow of water to reduce runoff, prevent erosion, and support healthy soil and plant life. By implementing passive rainwater harvesting, participants can conserve water, and create more resilient, self-sustaining landscapes.
Instructors:Anthony Luketich, Natural Resource Scientist, Anthony Luketich is a Natural Resources Scientist for Bernalillo County where he is focused on water conservation and water-wise landscape practices. He received a degree in Watershed Management and Ecohydrology from the University of Arizona where he studied the relationship between trees and water. Anthony has worked across the Southwest US as a research scientist as well as a water harvesting field technician where he became a certified water harvesting practitioner.
Bobby Mullin, Natural Resource Scientist, Bernalillo County Stormwater Quality Program Bobby Mullin is a Natural Resource Scientist for Bernalillo County in the Stormwater Quality Program. He focuses on improving stormwater quality in the Middle Rio Grande Watershed and promoting sustainable and resilient landscapes using Green Stormwater Infrastructure and rainwater harvesting. Bobby received his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Bucknell University in 2011. Before joining Bernalillo County, he had worked as an environmental consultant remediating contaminated soil and groundwater and as a Research Scientist studying the impacts of climate change, drought and plant mortality in New Mexico ecosystems.
Xeriscape: The Desert Friendly Yard
Join us for learning all of the tips, and benefits of our Xeriscape program!
3 Steps to Landscape Success
Service, Settings, and Selection are the keys to landscape success!
