How to Water Trees

If you live in a region that receives little or no summer rain, or if there is a drought during the regular rainy period, you may need to water your trees. Here's how.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Garden Hoses
• Hoes
• Soaker Hoses

1. Water existing trees if there has been a long period of drought. Build a soil berm around the drip line (the imaginary line on the soil that corresponds to the outward edge of the leaves of the tree) and fill it with water weekly. The easiest way to build a berm is with a hoe. Hoe a furrow around the drip line, then scrape the loose soil into a ridge to form a shallow basin.

2. Water young or newly planted trees biweekly during dry weather for the first two years. Use a bubbler and allow the water to soak into the soil. If the water begins to run off the surface, turn the force flow down to a mere trickle.

3. Use a soaker hose weekly for shallow rooted trees. In nature, redwoods, for example, rely on fog trapped in the leaves to drip down onto the shallow roots.

4. Water trees in lawn areas with a tree and shrub watering spike to force roots deep into the soil. Trees grown in turf areas will grow roots only near the surface if irrigation sprinklers are the only source of water.

Tips & Warnings

• Trees have a better chance to repel insect pests if there is sufficient water to form sap.
• Drought causes stress for all plants and should be counteracted if possible.

on 11/22/2005 I have found that if you use a 5 gallon bucket and punch small holes in the bottom (big enough for water to seep out slowly, but small enough so that it dont gush out) and sit the bucket next to the tree, fill with water it will slowly seep in the ground and water the tree. Fill the bucket up every other day and you dont have to worry about water running off it will soak up in the ground.