Tree Pittsburgh sent out a reminder that we’d like to share with everyone who received a street tree in the last few years, or who has planted their own young trees.

The very hot and dry weather is continuing with little chance of rain in the next ten days.  Trees throughout the city are wilting and dropping leaves. Trees planted in the past few years need to be watered 30 to 40 gallons per week (or about 1 inch of rainfall).  If you can, please water any young trees that are nearby–not just the ones near your home!  So many trees are stressed out from the lack of rain.

Water slowly and deeply.  Do not turn the hose on full blast — the water will just run off, and be wasted.  You can use a 5 gallon bucket with holes in the bottom to slowly water, turn your hose on a slow stream and place it in the tree pit, or use a gator bag (above).

If you want to buy a gator bag like the one shown here, Tree Pittsburgh has a few available for $25.  You can pick them up at their office starting on Monday, between 9am and 5pm.  Gator bags hold about 15 gallons of water and zip around the base of a tree.  When full, the water seeps out slowly into the ground.