NY's drought threatens long-term damage to trees and plans, experts say

LONG ISLAND - New York’s ongoing drought could lead to long-term damage to trees, shrubs, and plants, with experts urging homeowners to take action now to mitigate the impact.

If you turned off your sprinklers early and haven’t been manually watering, you may need to seed more than usual come the spring. You may also have to replace some of your greenery as there’s a very good chance not everything will survive the winter.

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The dry fall season, described as "unprecedented" by arborist Evan Dackow of Jolly Green Tree and Shrub Care, has left soil parched and greenery struggling. 

"Plants need oxygen, they need water, they need sun to thrive," Dackow explained. "They had no water."

Contrary to common belief, plants remain active as long as temperatures are above 40 degrees, meaning the lack of rain has had a cumulative effect.

Dackow warns that evergreens and perennials—plants that typically survive year-round—are at particular risk.

"We could see some death in the plants, especially plants that were a little weaker," Dackow said. "We need 11 more inches of rain. The roots are in the first 24 inches of soil. It’ll take a long time for the rain to catch up."