I used to water my trees with drip irrigation. One of my trees died, and I noticed the root ball was soaking wet with signs of some kind of mold or fungus when I dug out the root ball.
I removed the drip some time ago, but still think a deep soaking can be helpful every so often. Any suggestions on how often and for how long? Please assume a trickle coming out of the end of the hose.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Over watering is not exclusive to drip systems, deep watering is preferred to any other method for trees.
Soil conditions "Tilth" is the single most important changeable factor to good tree health.
Tilth also creates good drainage and water holding capacity, especially for clay soils.
Think the root system as a mirror image, of the plant or tree water needs to be applied at the outer edges more than the center because the finer small roots are the ones we need to target. This applies to fertilizer and amendments as well.
The signs and symptoms for over watering are the same as for under watering, it is my recommendation here in The Willamette Valley of Oregon to err on the side of under watering. Once established many trees will acclimate to our climate and conditions and not need supplemental water.
Randy
Yamhill County Master Gardener
Idyllwild
simplepress
jafar
Marsha H
Viron
1 Guest(s)