In part one of this two-part blog, we went over some of the basics of watering trees on your property. We discussed both younger and mature trees and how their watering and root systems differ, plus some other general tips.

At Reliable Tree Care, our pros are always here to assist with watering concerns and questions among our wide range of tree services, which also include trimming, disease control and several other areas. In today’s part two, we’ll go over some of the practical elements of watering trees – when and how to do it, avoiding too much or too little water, and a few specific factors for watering in the fall.

Basic Watering and Time of Day Considerations

Generally speaking, we recommend using either a proper soaker hose or an installed drip system to water the trees on your property. These allow water to slowly be released into the soil, sinking into the ground and reaching the full root system of the tree.

When should you be doing this during the day? The answer might depend to some degree on which tree species you have on your property, but in general the best period for this is in the evening time, a couple hours before dusk sets in. This is a period where the ground and soil are still relatively warm from the full day, but the sun is no longer beating down at its highest levels and will not risk evaporation of much of the water meant for your tree’s roots.

Avoiding Overwatering or Underwatering

So how do you know if you’re providing your tree with the proper amounts of water? We went over some basic amount guidelines in part one here, but as we noted in that section, this really depends on a few factors that will vary from property to property. Our pros are here to offer some expertise, though – here are some signs that a tree is overwatered:

• Area surrounding the tree is constantly wet or moist
• Leaves or branches may begin to turn yellow when this is not the desired color
• Root rot or fungus may begin to appear at the base

On the flip side, here are some red flags that your tree might not be receiving enough water:

• Leaves have begun to wilt or curl in strange shapes
• The edges of leaves begin to turn brown
• Leaves are generally smaller, and may drop earlier in the fall than usual

Fall Factors

Speaking of fall, some people wonder whether watering should be done the same way during this period of the year. If you’re dealing with newly planted trees, the answer is yes – you should water them in the same manner as you would during any part of the year. For mature trees, however, you may slow your watering near the beginning of fall – but plan a deep watering at least once before the ground freezes over to prepare them for winter.

For more on watering your trees, or to learn about any of our tree trimming or other arborist services, speak to the pros at Reliable Tree Care today.