Via Haringey Federation of Residents' Associations:
The Council's tree officer has asked us to point out that, with the hot weather and little rain, there are a few street trees looking quite thirsty. Any planted in the last couple of years will be particularly susceptible to lack of water as their root systems aren't established, and they could easily die as a result.
If people can check the ones nearest their house (and encourage neighbours to) and give them a bucket of water every few days (or more frequently) until we get some rain that may help to keep them alive. Water used for washing veg or washing up is fine as long as it hasn't got harsh detergents in it (bit of soap won't hurt the trees but machine powders might). Most of the newer trees should have a pipe you can pour the water down, but if not, try to water the ground slowly at first to give the water a chance to soak in as it's been dry for so long.
In return the trees give you shade, beauty and cleaner air. Pretty good deal.
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Some general advice about watering etc here: www.HaringeyTreeWardens.org.uk/tree-care
Yes, they're being managed.
More water will always help any tree when leaves are showing (unlike with your limes) - it's part of what they long for...
Street trees are selected by the Tree Officers to become self-sustaining by their fourth birthday. Cost us a fortune in upkeep otherwise. They can last a good number of decades, sometimes much longer.
You can tell if they're under four because they'll generally still have tree guards - bit like bike training wheels for the toddlers they are. They're also not very tall or thick-stemmed.
You can use any sort of 'grey water' too (e.g. dishwater) but nothing with bleach in it.
Using a watering can on the tree pit can work, but it's not really practical for street trees, which often have pits that do not absorb the water quickly enough, so it runs away. All of them should have a watering hole (if not, let us know).
For young street trees under three years old, pour a couple of buckets (10 litres in total) once a week between May and August (more if it's super-hot) and up to double in the surrounding months (e.g. October if it's a dry one). A bit of mulch judiciously applied is worthwhile too. www.HaringeyTreeWardens.org.uk/tree-care
Some older street trees only did well because of broken water mains and if the pipes stop leaking...
You can't really overwater a tree - if the leaves look like they could use water, do it - we'll all thank you, not least because the value of trees is surprisingly high, and you're enhancing that value.
I found that the small tree opposite us was struggling and the earth around it was hard (as folks naturally walked on it from time to time) so it was not absorbing any rain water. So I take my garden fork to it from time to time to break up the hard earth and allow a bit more percolation to occur... It certainly helps when I toss water on it as more now percolates as opposed to runs straight off into the road.
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