This is what happens when you are unable to water regularly

I’ve had some health issues and my trees took a beating over the last month and a half. My Dad, bless him, has done all he can do to keep them alive up to this point as he didn’t ask to have to start watering trees every day on top of all of his other daily chores on the farm. Thank you Pops. You are the best.

[@jamesbarron1202]

My chestnuts are in ground and are dead. They can’t take the Texas heat and my dry sand being watered once a month. Pecans can take it. I have too much to do also plus too many other trees to water on my farm. Grasshoppers like to really eat chestnuts also. How’s your pawpaws doing. That tornado this spring broke all mine off at the lower trunks. They can’t take high winds with their heavy leafed canopy. That was listed as the 10th worst tornado in north Texas history. I finally had one blooming after all these years and they got broken. Now to start over from ground suckers.

[@MattPatterson1411]

As much as I hate to say it, I think I’ve reached the point to where I’m done experimenting with Chestnuts here and want to move on to something else. It’s obvious to me that species such as Chinkapin, DCO, Sawtooth and Concordia can withstand the heat and dry conditions for longer periods of time than chestnuts. Even my large 12yo chestnut trees require watering every year during the summer or they would die. You would think a 12 yo tree would have sufficient root mass to support itself during times of drought but you should see how my trees look right now. Barely any leaves left and the only reason they are still hanging on is because they are getting a little water everyday when my Dad comes up to water them. The Pawpaw are dead. Made to two years and would still be alive now if I could have watered them. Sorry about the tornado and your damage. Good thing is that those trees should have a strong root system and will put on top growth quickly.

[@jamesbarron1202]

@@MattPatterson1411 my pawpaws are about 20’ from my front door and that’s why they survive. I can water them easily. Even then some will totally defoliate during late summer. I have 2 now with no leaves. One started pushing out one new leaf. I really need to have my water tested for sodium. There’s a guy here in town that test water and installs water softeners and he said the majority of wells here are high in sodium. I think that’s why mine defoliate. The leaves will start burning on the edges and eventually the entire leaf gets that way. That’s with me watering every 2 weeks. We don’t get enough rainfall to flush the sodium down. I’ve had 1 3/4” now since May. Beats what I got last year. Before that we had torrential floods. Worst or second worst flooding I’ve seen on my property since I bought it in 1986. My pecans are starting to drop now and they’re in great shape because of the early flooding. I have to battle the crows and squirrels for them. I’m right next to Lake Ray Roberts corps property and this entire lake is a wildlife refuge. Deer get them also at night. I had a bunch of turkeys here every day for about a month and they left. The turkeys are more than welcome to eat pecans because they also eat grasshoppers. I’m going to have to start cutting down some of my pecan trees because the canopies are starting to touch each other (Every other tree) mine are on 35’x35’ row spacings. They’ll compete for water, nutrients and sunlight and stop producing good high quality nuts when they crowd. Especially in my sandy soil. Grower’s in west Texas can get by with hedging the tops when they crowd because they irrigate their trees. I’m all into planting pollinator trees and shrubs now for my beehives. Drought tolerant or fruiting being a big plus. My 2 Lynn’s Legacy Texas Sages are in a heavy bloom now. They’re so covered in blooms you can barely see the leaves.