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Watering New Trees
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In nature,
trees start from seeds or roots and are established from the
beginning. Transplanting is not natural, which is why
these trees need special care until the
roots develop to a proportionally correct size. Proper watering is critical, so understanding watering frequency,
quantity, and best time of day are important. How often? Daily temperatures, time of year, natural rainfall, and soil type all have an effect on watering frequency. But since tree irrigation is not rocket science, the best approach is to periodically check the soil and gain a feel for when to water. Generally speaking, trees should be watered once per week from early Spring until the leaves drop off in the Fall. However, if the soil ever becomes drier than a damp sponge, extra applications are required. Never water if the soil is already soaked because trees can be over-watered. How much? New trees with less than a 3” trunk diameter will have a root well of about 5 cubic ft. Typical soil will soak up about one gallon of water per cubic foot, meaning the tree should be given around 5 or 6 gallons per application. It would be wasteful to exceed 10 gallons on trees of this size, but be sure that you are efficiently applying at least 5 gallons. It is important to note that insufficient surface watering may cause root development to concentrate too close to the surface. Roots should be promoted to depths of 4 to 18 inches for drought hardiness and anchor strength. Application techniques are important to understand because they vary in efficiency and depth. Watering methods include open hose, soaker hose, drip irrigation, and root feeders. One of the more efficient methods, the self-contained root feeder, insures a deep soaking with a measured quantity of water in considerably less time than the others. Because of its hose-free design, the Tree I.V. method only requires about one minute per tree, with a soak time limited only by the percolation rate of the soil. |
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Cause and Effects of Over-Watering Trees |
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Cause and Effects of Inadequate Tree Watering |
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SayeGrow LLC
20079 Ford Road, Cherryvale, KS, 67335, US
Phone: (620) 328-3473 Email: support@sayegrow.com
Copyright 2006 SayeGrow LLC. All rights reserved.