Would it be insane to plant a tree during this drought?

[rnc2mbfl]

Originally Posted by mdp_az

I have seen Bradford Pear trees split, but its usually been after an ice storm, and most often its on trees that are over 15 years old. I have been cutting off the lower branches on mine each year in hopes of reducing the stress on the trunk where the branches start splitting off.

Bradford Pear trees bloom before bees are active in the late Winter. They rely on flies for pollenation. I heard that's why the flowers literally "smell like ****". I personally hate this tree for this reason and the reason that, although they grow fast, they are easily reduced to rubble during wind or ice storms.

[PDXmom]

Originally Posted by bluedevilz

We've been doing the "collecting the water in the shower thing" the last few weeks, adds up quickly.

We planted a purple plum 2 weeks, it seems to be doing OK...

I took a tree planting class in Portland and they said most trees only need to be watered about 5 gallons 2 xs a week. This was in the summer when it stops raining completely. I bet you could get the watering info from the NC State ag extenstion office for Raleigh.

If you did the shower collection you could easily get a 5 gal bucket daily. Also this class said the water should drip slowly onto the tree base. They recommended putting 2 or 3 holes in the bottom of a 5 gal bucket, placing the bucket by the tree base, and letting it just drip. Of course you'll need a catch bucket and a drip bucket or otherwise you will have drips from your bathroom to your front door. Good luck w/ your tree!!

[cary native]

NRG, plant the tree. If you can water it 2-3 times a week it will be fine. I would suggest you buy a "tree gator" which is a bag that goes around the tree. It holds 20 gal. of water and the water drips out over a 6-8 hour period.
Have you looked at any cherry trees? I like "Yoshino" and "Kwanzan" varities.

[cary native]

Originally Posted by mdp_az

I have seen Bradford Pear trees split, but its usually been after an ice storm, and most often its on trees that are over 15 years old. I have been cutting off the lower branches on mine each year in hopes of reducing the stress on the trunk where the branches start splitting off.

What you really need to do to reduce the chances of the limbs splitting off is to reduce the canopy on the outside and top of the tree. This will reduce the amount of weight each limb has to support.
I also see alot of Bradfords split after a thunderstorm.
Another option if you like the Bradford Pear is the Cleveland Pear. It looks about the same but dosen't split near as bad.