Q.How should I water established magnolia trees that are dying during a very hot summer?
One of them looks nearly bare. Should I use a hose and deep water them?
They receive six minutes of sprinkled water every other day now. Until three weeks ago when our water rationing was lifted, they received only three minutes of sprinkling every other day.
The short answer is yes, use a hose and deep water to rescue them.
The bigger concern I have is for the long term sustainability of these large growing trees with a minimal watering program of a few minutes every other day. These are southern magnolia, they are not drought tolerant and they require a lot of water to keep them healthy.
The tree in the photo at the bottom of a slope on the edge of a retaining wall has extremely poor growing conditions. There is not sufficient flat soil surface to absorb and retain water. If it were to survive it will crack and break out that block wall within five years. I can't see the site for the other tree, but consider if you have good growing conditions for summer water loving trees like this
