QUINCY, ILL. -- Fall's not yet here, but you may already be seeing tree leaves crumbling under and turning brown. Local nurseries say those aren't the sign's of fall, but the effects of a 2-month-long drought.
We visited with Bergman Nurseries in Quincy to find out what you need to do to save your trees before it's too late.
"The problem we're having this year is, we've had about three years of a lot of rain in the spring and people don't realize what it takes right now for trees to get watered," said Tom Friye, the nursery's owner and landscape architect.
Especially trees planted in the last 3 years. Friye says most trees need constant care and hours of watering throughout the week. But for many people, it's a chore often forgotten.
"The trees that are under stress, the leaves are curling," said Friye.
That's a definite sign the tree's drying out and possibly dying out.
"Generally, at this time of the year, your leaves do not start coloring. Around the 15th or 16th of October is the normal time. Everything is a little bit early this year and trees will color but there's a difference in the curling of a tree's leaves than the leaves turning color," said Friye.
You still have time to reverse the signs of the drought.
"It's not good for a tree to go into the winter time with being dry. It's better if the tree has some moisture in the ground, and right now we're having a terrible time getting any rain at all," said Friye.
With no help from mother nature, it's up to the caregivers to give these trees the TLC they need to survive.
"The city's been watering the trees along Maine Street and I try to help every once in a while. I'll put a water tank on my truck and if I see a tree that needs water, I don't care how old the tree is, I water it, because I don't want to see any trees die. That's for sure," said Friye.
But even that's not enough as more trees take a hit from this drought.
"If you're a homeowner and you live around Maine Street, I'm sure that Trees for Tomorrow would appreciate it if you watered the trees. Even if you're not the one that planted the tree, it'd sure be appreciated if you could go out there and lay a hose on the tree and let it trickle down for a couple of hours, just let it drip and give that tree a good drink of water," said Friye.
One tree in particular Friye urges you not to ignore is the arborvitae. That's an evergreen. Friye says this tree must receive water on a regular basis.