Tree Care Louisville

How to Water Trees

Correct watering practices are important to the survival of a newly planted tree. Probably the most typical cause of decline in newly planted trees is the wrong type of irrigation. Improper irrigation can be either too much water or too little water.  The symptoms of stress from both can be exactly the same. Correct irrigation requires a little homework, continued monitoring and adjustments when necessary.
 
Irrigation amount and frequency are dependent on:
Air Temperature
Soil Consistency
Soil Composition
Tree Species
The Season
 
With a lot of factors it's challenging to provide an irrigation standard that's suitable for all trees. Usually, no irrigation is required when trees are dormant. The time of dormancy for deciduous trees is simple to figure out simply because they shed their leaves. Evergreens go dormant also. Use deciduous trees as indicators for the dormancy period for both kinds of trees. Irrigation ought to begin when deciduous trees begin to bud up or leaf out in early spring.Probably the most quantity of water will be needed mid to late summer when soil moisture has been reduced and air temperatures are at their highest. In mid to late fall the irrigation schedule can be tapered off back to a watering schedule that was used in early spring.As soon as fall leaf drop happens stop watering until the next growing season.
 
Bob Ray Co., Inc, Inc recommends that trees be irrigated with an automated drip irrigation system.This type of system may be as easy as a soaker hose attached to a battery operated watering timer. Drip irrigation utilizes the least amount of water and the highest efficiency. It evenly distributes water directly over the rootball of newly planted trees and it provides constant moisture levels.
 

Use a trowel to dig down in the root zone roughly 4-6”. Choose  a small handful of soil and squeeze it tightly in the palm of your hand. If the soil has formed slightly to the shape of your palm after you've opened your fist, the soil moisture is perfect. If the soil effortlessly crumbles and falls apart the moisture level is too low, and if you're able to squeeze water from the soil when it's in your fist the soil is too wet. All water ought to be absorbed within 6 hours, and no puddling should occur.