What’s New

April 2002

Drought and Its After-Effects

This year drought is a key factor for consideration as the growing season approaches in Connecticut. The current season’s drought follows a trend for abnormally low levels of precipitation that has been occurring since 1995.  Symptoms of drought are manifest in different ways depending upon the plant species and the severity of the water deficit.  Obvious symptoms of drought appear on herbaceous plants such as bedding plants, annuals, and even some perennials--when soil moisture is deficient, plants wilt, shrivel, and frequently die.  In these cases, the cause and effect are usually apparent. The situation with woody plants, however, is much more complicated.  Symptoms associated with drought are variable and include loss of turgor in needles and leaves, drooping, wilting, yellowing, premature leaf, needle or fruit drop, stunting, and tip or branch dieback.  Leaves on deciduous trees often develop a marginal scorch and interveinal necrosis whereas needles on evergreens turn brown at the tips.  In extreme cases, drought can result in plant death.  Effects of drought are typically more severe on new transplants but established plants are also affected. In some cases, symptoms aren’t evident on woody ornamentals until sometime after the injury has occurred--even as much as one or two years later.