The Effect of Rain Water on Trees

Rain

• Rain plays an important role in the earth's water cycle; it also serves to hydrate plants, crops and trees on the ground. Rain water is especially beneficial during hot weather. Compared to winter, trees use three to five times more water during the summer when the weather is hot, dry and windy.

Over Watering

• Excessive rain can be bad for trees. Signs of excess watering include constant soil dampness, young leaves turning yellow or light green, wilted young shoots and brittle leaves. Growth of algae and mushrooms on tree barks can also be a result of over saturation. When using collected rain water for trees, be sure to water along their root depth, which typically ranges from 18 to 36 inches. To determine the appropriate depth, push a smooth rod with a 1/4- to 3/8-inch diameter into the ground soon after you irrigate with rain water. The rod should easily slide through the wet soil and become harder to push when reaching dry soil.

Acid Rain

• Acid rain consists of a mixture of wet and dry deposited material from the atmosphere. This type of rain contains high amounts of sulfuric and nitric acids coming from both natural and man-made sources. Sources of these acids that get mixed up in the rain include volcanoes, decaying vegetation and emissions from fossil fuel combustion. Power plants emit sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which are then carried by prevailing winds and mixed in with rainfall.

Effects on Trees

• Acid rain is harmful to trees. Although acid rain does not usually kill trees directly, it weakens them by damaging their leaves and limiting the amount of nutrients available to them. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, acid rain can dissolve the nutrients and healthy minerals in the soil, and then wash them away before trees and other plants can absorb them.