Native Plants
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Wednesday - June 06, 2012
From: austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Watering, Trees
Title: Mexican Plum with wilted leaves in Austin, TX.
Answered by: Jimmy Mills
QUESTION:
I am new to Texas & have a yard with mature mexican plum trees. They are quite beautiful however as summer sets in I notice that the leaves appear "wilted". Is this normal or should I be providing extra water? ThanksANSWER:
Welcome to Texas!
The Mexican Plum Prunus mexicana (Mexican plum) is a handsome Texas native that has low water use, and can tolerate dry conditions. However, when the leaves on a tree begin to wilt, it is trying to tell you something. If the water loss by a plant through transpiration is greater than the water supply, wilting can result followed by leaf drop. As the weather heats up, water demand increases, and if the trees have set fruit, there is additional demand in order for the fruit to grow and develop. So I guess the short answer is to add some more water.
I’m including two links with tips about watering plants; one is from the Texas Forest Service, and the other is from Oregon State University Extension.
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