2023 Heat and drought death tolls

[Cajunrider]

At da rider's manor the following perished in the 2023 heat wave and drought.
7 Japanese maples - They were moved to shade and watered carefully, yet they dried to a crisp.
4 May hawthorns collected last year. These didn't develop enough roots and slowly withered under the heat even after being moved to part shade.

On the mend is a Ginkgo that @namnhi gave me. I think it will pull through. Same with a lot of the bald cypress. They look like they have been punched in the face.
How did your trees fare?

 

[namnhi]

At da rider's manor the following perished in the 2023 heat wave and drought.
7 Japanese maples - They were moved to shade and watered carefully, yet they dried to a crisp.
4 May hawthorns collected last year. These didn't develop enough roots and slowly withered under the heat even after being moved to part shade.

On the mend is a Ginkgo that @namnhi gave me. I think it will pull through. Same with a lot of the bald cypress. They look like they have been punched in the face.
How did your trees fare?

Most of my JMs are leafless at this time of the year. A few have bite the dirt. Some have started the new flush of leave... but these are sparse... nothing like Spring flush. Ginkgo have most of the leave crispy brown but they should be alive. Shade cloth will be up next year before the summer heat roll in. Am surprised any potted plants still alive with this string of over 100 degree days we had

 

[dbonsaiw]

Sorry to hear. All casualties on my end where due to my faulty work, not really mother nature, although I do have a Kojo no mai that is suffering and not sure why (it lost all leaves a month or so back and is now regrowing them). We had a very mild summer and I learned that I actually have 12 seasons here in NY (LOL). Looking forward to second spring.

 

[TCEvan]

Not worrying about losing a tree to heat does make me feel better about needing to wear sweaters for the past couple weeks.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

I lost two nana junipers, 2 azaleas, and maybe a serissa.

 

[BrianBay9]

We'll probably end up the season with 40 days in triple digits. I've lost 23 trees out of the 127 I moved here this spring. Most of those were due directly to squirrel chewing, or indirectly from squirrels chewing my irrigation lines while I was out of town.

 

[Sagebrush]

Cotoneaster
Mugo
Chapparral Sage
Red Sage
Youpon Holly
Countless spring cuttings
Don't remember a summer like this since '94. Set a consecutive days 100+ record with wind and single digit humidity. So happy last ten days have been low to mid 90's. Actually saw a 30 minute shower last weekend.

 

[Sagebrush]

Not worrying about losing a tree to heat does make me feel better about needing to wear sweaters for the past couple weeks.

What is a sweater?

 

[Carol 83]

A few azaleas, beautyberry and princess persimmon cuttings and some dwarf mums. Nothing especially great but it still sucks.

 

[Paradox]

A horizontalis juniper turned brown on me for some reason right next to the other 5 that are still green

 

[Cenovak]

In the spring we do the "bonsai shuffle" here in Minnesota, moving them in and out of cold storage. Has anyone tried moving some of their trees indoors or into a cool garage? Climate change may make us re-think our usual strategy...

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Made out pretty well this year. Havent had many casualties that I care about.

Lost :
1 acer rubrum (3yrs training)
1 white oak (3yrs training)
1 birds nest spruce (1yr... nursery stock... over-styled last year)

 

[Sagebrush]

In the spring we do the "bonsai shuffle" here in Minnesota, moving them in and out of cold storage. Has anyone tried moving some of their trees indoors or into a cool garage? Climate change may make us re-think our usual strategy...

Rethinking will be front and center this winter. Thinking of wooden boxes on the ground filled with moist mulch around pots, maybe kiddy pools with mulch. More shade. Getting out of black nursery pots into Terra cotta. The ideas just keep growing.

 

[Japonicus]

I've lost nothing to the heat this year.
Below avg number of days in the 90s so far this Summer. September however is possibly forecasted to have as many days in the 90s as we've had all Summer, so the Summer is not over despite meteorological Fall beginning tomorrow.

 

[rockm]

In the spring we do the "bonsai shuffle" here in Minnesota, moving them in and out of cold storage. Has anyone tried moving some of their trees indoors or into a cool garage? Climate change may make us re-think our usual strategy...

Extremely problematic moving trees inside when they're in leaf. A couple of days would be fine, but the extremes in Texas have a month of consecutive days over 100 F. That period inside will considerably weaken any temperate tree brought inside.

Outside shade, mulching into a shady spot on the ground and keeping the mulch moist with watering can help in hottest days.

 

[Michael P]

Really sorry to hear of everyone's losses, but you are making me feel better--I haven't lost anything so far. This despite many record breaking days, consecutive days at 110F and warmest night time lows ever recorded. I think this last factor is more important than people realize. When night temperatures never go below the point of physiological heat stress, the trees never have a chance to recover. I have actually considered the reverse tree shuffle, bringing them in at night for cool down, then moving back out during the day.

I move trees into shade, and those still in sun get a white terrycloth towel over the soil and pot, wetted twice a day. But probably the biggests help is that I don't grow species that can't tolerate the summer heat here. I have no Japanese maples, as much as I love them.

 

[August44]

In the spring we do the "bonsai shuffle" here in Minnesota, moving them in and out of cold storage. Has anyone tried moving some of their trees indoors or into a cool garage? Climate change may make us re-think our usual strategy...

Climate change? Seriously?

 

[SmallTreeGuy]

Sorry to hear. All casualties on my end where due to my faulty work, not really mother nature, although I do have a Kojo no mai that is suffering and not sure why (it lost all leaves a month or so back and is now regrowing them). We had a very mild summer and I learned that I actually have 12 seasons here in NY (LOL). Looking forward to second spring.

Hey that’s Texas’s meme! Weather has been muggy asscrack hot!

 

[Michael P]

Climate change? Seriously?

Yes, climate change and you better believe it is serious.

 

[Wulfskaar]

I lost several baby JM's grown from seed this spring. They just got crispy and were done. One survived fine.

My 1 year old JM's got crispy edges but are still here.

My older JM got crispy and lost it's leaves, but I just noticed a few new leaves coming in, so I'm hoping it survives.

I think the El Nino year has made it much easier for my JM's to survive, as it's not been as hot and dry as it normally is this time of year. We also had August rain with the "hurriquake", which I can't remember ever seeing here. With El Nino, it's expected that we'll get rain in fall, which we normally don't get. I'm just hoping my JM's gain enough strength the survive going forward.