If you venture out into your yard this hot, muggy afternoon, you'll probably see some of what I saw in the field today: droopy leaves. I tell ya, I felt just as droopy as those leaves looked! You'd think we'd all be used to it by now, but with 8 weeks of low/no rainfall - it reminded me, it's time to check the soil moisture.

So I've been going around, digging into gardens, fields, pots, root balls - anything that might need my help with some water.

I'm going to suggest you do the same, especially on your trees that have been in the ground three years or less and those that have been growing in place for decades. Since we only have about a 40% chance of rain for the week, now is the time to get these trees good & wet, if you haven't recently. Our moisture monitoring tutorial can help you get the hang of checking the soil, and our watering instructions will tell you how to put the water on.

Now if your tree's root area is already wet, it could still show some sign of wilting this afternoon. That's just because it's darn hot. If you look at the tree in the morning, before the mercury rises much, you should see that the leaves have perked up quite a bit overnight. Another hot day might influence trees to use more water than usual, so don't be afraid to check on them a couple times this week.

Some newly-planted trees - anything moved within the last three years - are displaying a bit of their fall color. That could just be a "normal" part of the transplant recovery process - or it could indicate some other issue. So feel free to comment here if you have any concerns! We'll step you through some care and yard questions that can help clear things up.