Water: too much or too little? Trees need water. Seems obvious, but there are a lot of people who believe that since no one waters forest trees, their urban cousins don’t need any help either. But they don’t take into consideration the very different growing conditions of each.
Forest trees conserve resources much more efficiently than their urban counterparts. An organic layer of mulch holds moisture in the soil, natural wind breaks reduce evaporation, plus group shading and transpiration keep the overall forest temperatures cooler.
Urban trees often bake in the sun and have to compete with a thick layer of sod over their roots systems that absorb the reduced available moisture. Buildings, streets, lights, and other urban elements radiate heat, further adding to the depletion of water.
How much is enough? Too much is as harmful as too little. Over saturation of the soil can literally drown your trees by not allowing room for oxygen to penetrate into the soil pore space. A general rule of thumb is to do a deep-watering every 4-6 days during periods of drought for mature trees and every 2-3 days for smaller and newly planted trees. Less frequent, but deeper watering help train the tree to be drought resistant. The best time to water is in the morning. Click here for more information
Forest trees conserve resources much more efficiently than their urban counterparts. An organic layer of mulch holds moisture in the soil, natural wind breaks reduce evaporation, plus group shading and transpiration keep the overall forest temperatures cooler.
Urban trees often bake in the sun and have to compete with a thick layer of sod over their roots systems that absorb the reduced available moisture. Buildings, streets, lights, and other urban elements radiate heat, further adding to the depletion of water.
How much is enough? Too much is as harmful as too little. Over saturation of the soil can literally drown your trees by not allowing room for oxygen to penetrate into the soil pore space. A general rule of thumb is to do a deep-watering every 4-6 days during periods of drought for mature trees and every 2-3 days for smaller and newly planted trees. Less frequent, but deeper watering help train the tree to be drought resistant. The best time to water is in the morning. Click here for more information
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