Can you provide tips for good tree watering practices?
Water the Entire Root Zone: Keeping trees healthy involves watering in the root zone, deep enough so the roots have adequate moisture. For many mature trees, roots are located 2 to 3+ feet deep under the canopy. So you will need to make sure that water is percolating 2 to 3 feet deep.
Soak Deeply: Shallow watering encourages shallow root development and limits the volume of soil a tree uses for water and nutrient uptake, making a tree more susceptible to drought, disease, and uprooting during strong winds.
Simple Methods: If you don’t have a separate irrigation line for your trees, try other simple ways to water the root zone:
- let a hose drip and move it around to soak under the canopy and beyond the drip line
- coil soaker hose under the tree and run for a few hours
- build a circular berm and fill with water. For newly planted trees, water the root-ball area deeply one or more times per week to encourage the growth of deep roots. It’s important that the root ball be moistened frequently to encourage rapid root growth. Check for moisture 6 inches into the soil on the sides of the root ball.
- Add mulch to help the soil retain moisture.
When to Water: Sun and wind increase evaporation. To reduce evaporation, apply water in the early morning, not during the heat of the day, especially if using a sprinkler system. With sprinklers, avoid watering during wind.
Frequency: Water mature trees every 1 to 4 weeks during the dry season, which is generally from May to November. If there is a lack of rainfall, you will need to extend watering into the winter months. Well-timed fall and winter watering may allow a tree to survive on less water than a regime of plentiful water during the growing season. Soak infrequently until the soil is moist, not mushy, allowing it to dry in between irrigations to prevent diseases that thrive in warm, wet conditions. Prevent mulch from touching the trunk of the tree, also, direct sprinkler spray onto
the soil surface and not at the trunk.