Question
I have a live oak 6 inch in diameter that we planted two years ago. We are in
North Texas, hardly any rain this summer. The tree is at our weekend home and
we thought someone was watering it, but we came out this weekend and all the
leaves are brown and the ground was cracked dry. Will the tree recover?
Thanks.

Answer
First determine if the tree is still alive--start near the end of an upper outer branch and scrape a small but of bark off the branch. If the color under the bark is green then the branch is still alive at this point on the branch. If the color is brown the branch is dead at this point on the branch. If brown continue down the branch scraping at intervals until you find green or reach the trunk. If not green is found try other branches. If green is found i would water with 1 inch of water every third day until it rains good-place a pan under the tree and turn the sprinkler on and when the pan has 1 inch of water in it stop.
If green is found it has a chances to survive. I would wait until next spring to make the decision on whether to replace the tree or prune off the limbs that do not leaf out.