I can’t say when I have been more grateful for rain! My lawn has become so crunchy it hurts to walk barefoot on it and some of my newly transplanted shrubs have dropped their leaves. I have grown tired of watering and my plants and lawn are showing the effects.
The lawn will bounce back quickly with this nice, long rain but the trees, shrubs and perennials might take a little longer. If you have plants with no leaves or your perennials have no green parts above ground, do not assume they are dead. Be patient, it is possible for new leaves to appear this fall or even next spring.
Evergreen trees do not rebound if let go without water for too long. Once a conifer tree starts to turn brown, it is too late to bring it back. It will die in a very short time.
If a conifer has a slight yellowish tinge to the needle color, you can remedy that. That is typically a sign of nitrogen deficiency. The tree can be fertilized with evergreen tree spikes or a granular 12-12-12 fertilizer. Within 2 weeks the tree should look a healthier shade of green.
