Excess rain not necessarily good for tree roots after flooding

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Heavy rain after a long drought has left some Albuquerque trees at risk of drowning as saturated soil pushes out oxygen around their roots.

Tree consultant Joran Viers said the rare stretch of wet soil could threaten some trees after months of drought and recent flooding.

“We don’t often see trees drown in Albuquerque, but it does happen,” Joran Viers said.

Viers, a New Mexico State University extension expert turned private consultant with Tree Legacy Company, said cooler weather makes the problem worse because trees pull less water from the soil as they lose foliage.

“As it cools down and trees begin to lose their foliage, they are pulling far less water from the soil, so they’re not helping dry it out as much as they would be in July,” Viers said.

What can homeowners do?

Viers said drought killed many finer roots, which now makes it harder for trees to pull water from the ground. He said dry days ahead may give trees time to absorb leftover water and regrow those finer roots.

“There might be certain types of pest control that would be advisable Now, pruning of dead wood is good. We kind of try to stay away from pruning live wood at this time of year,” Viers said.

Viers said homeowners should watch for pests, hand-pick extra weeds and be careful with herbicides because high concentrations of glyphosate can kill trees.

Once the soil dries, Viers recommends deep watering trees once every 2 weeks through November and once a month through winter until February.

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