If you thought the drought was a thing of the past, think again. Yards may be somewhat more damp than usual, and we’ve risen above some magic number of inches of rainfall, but our Texas landscapes are still suffering from the effects of a severe drought.

Lack of water can severely limit or curtail a plant’s growth. Even though it’s started to rain normally again, plants can still suffer the effects. To be more colloquial, a wet spring and early summer doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods, even though we’re going in the right direction. Woody plants will show the effects of last year’s drought for years to come.

Short-term damage, caused by one dry spell, can result in leafscorch, wilting, and some leaf loss. This is usually temporary. In long-term damage, caused by severe drought like ours, you see the damage over a period of years. These include stunted growth, branch die-back, and possible death of the plant. Many woody plants can take up to three years AFTER the drought is over to show negative effects.

In this area, one common effect of drought is stem die-back, which is the result of loss of a tree’s fine feeder roots. These hair-like roots may have been coaxed into growing long during the hot summer months, to reach what little water was available. However, when the soil stays dry, these roots either die or lose their ability to take up water. So, when the rain finally does return, the plant can’t take full advantage of it. (This is the current situation.) The result becomes visible as the smaller branches die back (in an attempt to equalize the amount of working roots to the number of leaves), reducing the spread of the tree. If drought persists through the following season, the tree may eventually die since it can actually take in very little moisture.

Pest problems are another problem associated with drought. Many insect pests cannot survive in a healthy tree (which is why the best defense is to keep your trees healthy, along with the soil they’re growing in). But when a tree or shrub is weakened by drought pests will invade quickly, and in huge numbers.

Certain beneficial insects, like beneficial nematodes and ladybugs, slow down their activity during dry conditions. As a result, the insects they normally attack (such as aphids and fleas) grow in number.

Normally, healthy plants chemically isolate small wounds, and let them heal over. But drought-stressed plants exhibit less ability to isolate these small wounds. which then let in disease organisms and pests. Again, this happens during the several years after a drought is over, even if rainfall is normal.

The best way to counteract drought is by choosing drought-tolerant plants in the first place. Typically these are native to Texas, and over the centuries the species has grown used to periodic droughts. In addition, you can lessen drought’s long-term impact by incorporating organic matter into your soil, and mulching heavily over a tree’s entire root area.