Step 4: Prune off excess growth to encourage air and light movement.

Jul 30, Some trees may react to stress by producing abundant seeds. Prune only if needed. Branches that are infected, infested, dead or broken should be removed right away to avoid injury to the tree, property or people. Otherwise, it is best to wait until drought conditions improve before pruning.

It's usually better to prune trees during the late winter or early spring when insect and disease activity is.

Watering twice a week is generally considered enough to keep young trees alive through a drought.

Routine pruning is not recommended during severe drought, as this can cause tree stress which can make the trees even more prone to borer attack.

Pruning may still need to occur for building clearance, utility lines, tree failure risk reduction, and to maintain defensible space for wildfires. Jan 24, Do not dig, cultivate, or rototill anywhere close to the dripline of trees during a water shortage. The tiny hair-like roots are like straws that draw up what water is available.

Cutting off these “straws” by cultivating will add more stress to the tree by diminishing its ability to utilize available shrubhauling.barted Reading Time: 4 mins.

May 19, Digging underneath the canopy during a drought damages the roots and reduces the tree's capacity to uptake water. Avoid pruning live branches. Pruning takes away some of the tree's live tissue and forces the tree to expend energy mending pruning wounds, which is an unnecessary and additional stress to an already drought-stressed tree. Jul 21, Proper tree pruningis key all year round, but especially if drought has caused disease or damage. Prune trees to keep them healthier.

Cut off dead branches. Remove branches that look diseased or that have been damaged by pests. Disease and pests may spread if you don’t prune trees properly. A tree may slowly get sicker if it stays in dry conditions too long. Drought often paves the way for sickness. As the tree Estimated Reading Time: 2 mins.