The Austin Tree Doctor

06/12/2026

We’ve had a lot of rain recently, and while the moisture is welcome, it can also reveal problems that often go unnoticed during drier periods.

One of the biggest things to watch for is poor drainage. Areas that stay saturated for days can begin to develop low-oxygen (anaerobic) soil conditions. Plant roots need oxygen to survive, and when soil remains waterlogged, roots can become stressed even though there is plenty of water available.

This is also the time when many landscape diseases begin to gain a foothold. Wet foliage, saturated soil, and poor air circulation can create favorable conditions for a variety of turf and ornamental plant problems. One example is Phytophthora, a water mold that thrives in excessively wet soils and can cause root rot, crown rot, and decline in a wide range of landscape plants.

Heavy rain can also expose irrigation issues:

• Controllers that are still watering during rainy periods
• Broken rain sensors
• Areas receiving more water than they need
• Low spots where runoff and standing water collect
• Zones that may need schedule adjustments

One of the benefits of a rainy season is that it shows us how water actually moves through a landscape. Pay attention to puddles that remain for several days, soggy turf, standing water near foundations, and planting beds that never seem to dry out.

Sometimes the problem isn’t that a landscape needs more water—it’s that it needs better water management.

Field Notes: Healthy landscapes require both water and oxygen. Too little water causes drought stress. Too much water can be just as damaging.

Contact me if you’d like to schedule a tree assessment or sprinkler system check.

Jason
Austin Tree Doctor
Fieldwright Irrigation

02/02/2026

I was with an Arborist friend last week on a property and we were noticing one of the Live Oaks. One stem had suspicious symptoms unlike any other part of the tree or any other on the property. Nothing clearly pointed towards a disease or other pest so I spent some time researching our temperatures over the last couple of months. Here is what I found.

The daily temperatures for December and up to this hard freeze we had in late January, there’s a very clear pattern that almost certainly caused that particular Live Oak to think it’s Spring which would cause the tree to deharden and start getting ready for growth. It looks to have even began some growth, which is what I believe was some of what I was looking at. It’s the weather from December 21st-27th that’s key. It’s what happened in that time to set a perfect false start, both the daytime and nighttime temps are key. Also, that one stem/scaffold of the tree is facing West/Southwest and is more exposed and closer to the neighbor’s driveway and their roof which also radiates slightly more heat. It can be just enough to make that particular section of the tree a little warmer than the rest. Hence the tree responding as if it was Spring.

Then temps dipped again early January, not so much as to do damage but it was enough to shut it down unexpectedly to cause stress. Then, more warm short swings in early January then the awful freeze we had. That’s where the softened/new growth tissue gets damaged. Even some new leaves were coming out and partially formed at the time of the freeze.

I believe we will be seeing more of this around Austin and certain parts of Texas so keep an eye out. 

01/24/2026

Quite the changes with the business direction. I’ll always be the Austin Tree Doctor but irrigation is where the business is focused and one main reason is it’s the single most effective thing we can do to improve the health of our trees and everything related to them.

Fieldwright Irrigation is that tool, it’s the foundation for helping with this top priority. Besides a name to help clarify this distinction there needed to be a website that is also in line with elegant simplicity, that gets to the heart of what matters most with the least amount of empty fluff and moving parts.

With that said, I introduce to you Fieldwright Irrigation’s crispy new website! It’s a brief yet lovely stroll, providing a refreshing break from such busy and complex websites.

Licensed irrigation repairs and optimization.

01/21/2026

We have a pretty hard freeze coming into our area and there are some things you may want to do to minimize issues or damage to your trees and irrigation system.

First our trees: It’s not often practical to cover our larger trees or even the smaller ones and the vegetation on the entire property. One thing that helps is to make sure there’s proper moisture in the soil before a hard freeze like we have coming and because of the rain we have had overall we should be fine, so that’s good news. If you have to choose which trees and shrubs to focus on you want to focus on those that are exposed or facing the the north or north east side of the property. That’s typically where this type of weather comes from and this weekend it’s no different. Just placing Christmas lights (Old style bulbs are best) around the lower trunk of a small tree can help. Placing a thin sheet over them, followed by a plastic tarp or plastic cover can make a tremendous difference. You want to make sure to put the sheet underneath the plastic.

As for the irrigation: In Austin most of our backflow devices are below ground, but as cold as it’s going to get that could still be a problem for water lines and valves that have enough water inside them. It’s a good idea to make sure there is no water in the backflow device and the rest of the system betond it. Here is a video from a great irrigator who was bery helpful to me when I began doing irrigation a few years ago. He is a great guy and I filly recommend him if you are within his service area. If you’re in Austin, I can make a visit or talk you though it over the phone if you would like to try to do it yourself, just send me a message.

One other thing you might want to grab when you’re in the store is some hot cocoa!

 https://youtu.be/E4kOX_haPW8?si=ePoQ9vct0lgeh0XX


Keller Texas Winter Sprinkler Preparation, Sprinkler Winterization, DIY Sprinkler Winterization, Non-blowout sprinkler winterization, Preventing Freezing Spr...

01/21/2026

I created a name for this new direction of the business and the name is “Fieldwright Irrigation”.

You know me as The Austin Tree Doctor and I always will be, I’m still the same person and still do tree consultations/assessments (consulting only). Trees are in my blood, and by chance so is water.

For irrigation work, I’m using the dedicated name: Fieldwright Irrigation.

What the name means:
A wright is an old word for a skilled builder/repairer (like shipwright). Fieldwright basically means craftsman of the field — which fits how I approach irrigation: accurate diagnostics, clean repairs, and water efficiency with the landscape in mind (lawn, trees, shrubs — it all matters).

I wanted to share the exciting, for me, news. I think it’s appropriate and after hearing a couple of landscape friends mention the possible confusion I decided to make it clearer.

If you need help with sprinkler or drip issues, valves, controllers, wiring, leaks, coverage, or efficiency upgrades, feel free to reach out.

01/16/2026

Here’s a short tip for this time of year— quick January or February irrigation check (before spring growth starts).

60-second checklist: In the next two or three weeks run all the zones for a couple of minutes each. Just hold off if we are expecting a big freeze soon and look for:
• Soggy spots / bubbling sprinkler head.(leak or stuck valve)
• Zone won’t turn on after hard cold snaps (Somewhat common freeze issue or broken line or valve debris)
• Controller OFF or won’t come on? Rain sensor or simple electrical issue.
• Drip fittings popped off/ plants dry on drip zone?
• Heads tilted/spraying sidewalk or street?

Spring root growth is coming—now’s the time to catch issues early so the trees, shrubs and lawn get a nice solid start when they need it.
TX Licensed Irrigator • diagnosis-first repair/optimization • covering Central/Downtown.

Message me if you want a quick recommendation on what to check first. You can also send me pictures or any questions you might have (or to schedule a diagnostic visit).

I’d love to hear from y’all!

Jason

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07/29/2024

I love this! Back when I got into Arboriculture there was not much research done on topics that I was most interested in and I had to figure a lot of things out myself with my own research and fairly crude experiments. Agricultural soil practices have been studied immensely, but it's very different in the urban environment. It had been my specialty. It's nice to see actual results verified and compared more and more every year. It seems to have taken a while, but finally people are realizing the importance of soil all over again like they did generations ago. One of my sources for information was a book written in the 1800's and it's nice to see the author's questions and theories answered/confirmed more then 100 years later. It took this long for some of what he believed to be proven as fact.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/oURbC1cD5tYDCFPH/?mibextid=WC7FNe

These samples belong to the same soil type and have been in corn-bean rotation for over 20 years, but their treatment was very different!!!.

The land on the left has not been plowed or fertilized with anhydrous ammonia for more than 20 years and has benefited from a rye cover crop.

The land on the right was plowed annually and fertilized with anhydrous ammonia in the fall.

This photo was taken about 2 minutes after the samples were immersed in water.

The plowed land practically “exploded” as soon as it hit the water. Repeated plowing of the soil has destroyed its structure, removing interstitial space and the biological “glue” that helps hold the soil together, leading to its disintegration.

In contrast, with minimal soil disturbance, the no-tilled soil had excellent porosity and high biological activity, giving it a healthy structure that could withstand water shock.

In less than five minutes, the plowed land disappeared completely, while the unplowed land remained almost intact.

We wanted to see how long it would last and continued adding water (to compensate for evaporation) for several weeks.

We stopped after 6 weeks, during which time the no-till soil sample was still 95% intact.

Credit: Daily Factfinder