Watering Your Tree The Right Way

Watering your tree properly is one of the most important parts of tree care. However, it can be difficult to provide exact, ‘one size fits all’ watering instructions because there is such a wide range of climates. 

Here are a few important guidelines you should follow when planting a tree with The Living Urn’s biotree urn, or any tree for that matter, to ensure you are watering your tree in the proper way so it grows and thrives.

• When you first plant your tree, water it right away. Provide plenty of water for your new tree around the entire mulched area but do not flood (you don’t want to have standing water around your tree). The objective is to keep the entire mulched area moist near the surface and down to the depth of the roots. However, it is very important that you don’t over water so the soil so it becomes soggy or saturated. If it is moist, oxygen can permeate down to the roots. However, if the soil is soggy and saturated, oxygen cannot get to the roots.

• During the first few seasons, your new tree is working hard and using energy establishing itself in the new soil environment. In the summer for the first couple of seasons, it can be hard for the tree to deal with the heat and drought. To help the tree deal with this stress, water it regularly. Also, it is important that you properly cover the area surrounding your tree with mulch to keep the soil temperatures consistent and also to keep the soil around the tree moist. Click here to learn more about how to properly mulch your tree. By giving your tree regular deep waterings for the first two years, this will help root establishment and speed up that process.  Deep watering means keeping the entire mulched area moist down to the depth of the roots.

• How often do I water?  And how much water do I give my tree? It is very important to understand that too little water is harmful for the tree and so is too much water. Watering a tree too much is one of the most common mistakes people make when planting trees. You want moist soil – not soggy or saturated soil. You can make this judgement by feeling the soil. If it is soggy or saturated soil, oxygen cannot permeate down through the soil to reach the roots, which is critical. Ideally you would like a damp soil that will dry for a period so oxygen can reach the roots

• Basically, you want your soil to be moist. Usually about 30 seconds of steady watering from a regular garden hose is sufficient. Remember, you are also using your mulch to keep the soil moist as it will help retain moisture in the soil around the roots.

• One simple and easy way to check soil moisture is to push a garden trowel into the ground about 2 to 3 inches deep. Then move the blade back and forth to make a small hole. Touch the soil 2 inches deep – if the soil is moist then you do not need water.

After about two years, your tree will have established itself in the new environment and will have developed a proper root structure. At that point, it will be able to handle itself on its own and withstand a wider range of water conditions.