The Garden Nerd · Tree Recovery Assessment
Irrigation check and plant health plan
Here's what we found during today's assessment, the questions to put to your landscaper, how to hand water in the meantime, and what an ongoing plan looks like so this doesn't happen again.
What we found
A quick diagnosis from today's visit.
Questions to ask your landscaper
Work through these in order. Each answer sets up the next question.
- Is the irrigation system actually working right now? The wires to the valve box aren't connected and manual testing showed no flow. Our read is that it's not functioning at all, but they should confirm and fix.
- Are all the trees and plants in the back on one zone, or split across multiple? This changes how we water by hand until it's fixed, and how the system should be programmed once it's live.
- For each zone, how much water is it set to deliver, how often, and for how long? Get the run time and frequency per zone, not just "it's on a timer."
- Can the spaghetti tubing at each tree be swapped for actual bubblers? Since the landscaper already ran new PVC instead of poly tubing, upgrading to bubblers at each tree should be straightforward and will water far more evenly than spaghetti line.
How to hand water until it's fixed
This buys time while the irrigation gets sorted. Don't wait on this part, start today.
Trees
Slow soak, one tree at a time- Set the hose to a small trickle, barely running
- Let it sit at the base of the tree for 24 hours
- Goal is water soaking 3 feet deep or more
- Move to the next tree and repeat
Shrubs & oleanders
Once a week, no slow soak needed- Hand water at the base, not on the leaves
- Give a good, deep amount once a week
- No need to leave the hose running for hours
Trees are the priority. Root systems that have gone this long without water are already stressed, and another month without consistent watering is likely enough to start losing some of them.
Ongoing plant health plan
Once irrigation is confirmed working, this is what keeps everything healthy going forward.
Monthly plant health & lawn program
Covers your trees, shrubs, plants, and front grass lawn.
- Monthly liquid feeding tailored to trees, shrubs, and plants
- Monthly grass fertilizing for the front lawn
- Ongoing soil biology support, not just synthetic feeding
- A trained set of eyes on your yard every single month
- Issues like this irrigation problem get caught early, before they cost you a tree
- Direct access to expert advice on anything going on in the yard