[tonysgrlaz]

I have a Mulberry tree in the backyard. First of all let me tell you I live in Arizona and it's been over 110 for 2 straight weeks. A friend told me to water it.. a lot. I started watering it more often, about 3 times a day. It started to take off and really expand and get wide.. well then I started getting those water bills and the price doubled. So I tried cutting back, and started watering it a little less. Well, now I notice the leaves are turning yellow and it doesn't look as healthy and vibrant green as it did before. Is it because I'm not watering it enough? Or I'm watering it too much or is it just because it's been un-Godly hot here lately. I really want it to flourish and provide shade back there.

[twinkiedooter]

Short of watering it like you did prior to getting your water bill there is nothing else to do. The leaves are turning yellow due to the high temps. Mulberry trees are definitely NOT a good tree for Arizona due to the heat. They are a tree that does great in the Northeast and Midwest. You might have to go to a nursery and pick out a different species that will flourish in Arizona in the heat and lack of water. I could recommend that you get a Gum Tree from Australia. That is a very fast growing species. I had a Blue Gum Eucalyptys tree in South Florida that grew by leaps and bounds. When I planted it it was no thicker than my thumb in the trunk and 10' tall. In a few years I could not put both hands around the trunk and the tree towered over my home giving great shade. They are not easy to come by but if you can get one they will zoom up in height and spread out. They do come from a dry, hot continent so they should do okay in Arizona. You might be able to also get some eucalyptys trees from Calfiornia as well if you can't locate any in Arizona. The blue gum has a long, thin leaf reminding me of a willow tree leaf. The trick to watering trees is to water them by having a hose at the base of the tree and leaving the water on at a trickle. This way the water is better utilized versus watering it 3 times a day. I have used the trickle method on all my young trees and they flourish and grow big in the first few years in the ground.

[twinkiedooter]

Another thought about your present tree. Try and water it after the sun goes down. Water it at night and not in the daytime. This way the tree can absorb the water into the root system and keep it from totally drying out during the hot daytime hours. In Florida I would water in the evenings if the next day was going to be a scorcher. I still do that up here in Ohio and my trees flourish in my yard.

The Blue Gum tree I told you about above grew well over 60 feet in less than 6 years. It also withstood Hurricaine Andrew as well. I had moved elsewhere but after the storm I went back and looked at the tree growing in Ft. Lauderdale and it was bigger than ever. I had other large eucalyptus trees in my yard about 15 miles away that did fine in the storm also.

[tonysgrlaz]

Well, thank you very much for your advice. I will try to water it at night rather then the daytime. Also, I'll start to leave it on a drip system.