UK droughts July 2018

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UK droughts July 2018

We are having a bad year, starting 3 weeks ago, we have had no rain ! its a drought.

Located in the center of the UK, we always seem to miss the rain. We have had no water in the taps for 2 Sunday evenings in a row. Not sure if the water companies are reducing the pressure to reduce the demand. Some parts of the UK are having rain and coping well.

But as we do not irrigate our orchards or nursery beds, we are open to what nature throws at us. The photos below illustrate the problem, to great effect. These are newly planted 2017/18 fruit trees, that have died.As we are heavy clay, the ground just opens up like an earthquake.

In some instances, it is not so  much the water loss in the soil. It is  the intense heat during the day time of +30 deg C temperatures. The tips of the branches get burnt (similar to fire blight) the leaves turn all crunchy, and gradually the tree dies from the top down.