OT-Deep watering trees

[oldpotatoe]

BECAUSE there is such a depth of knowledge here..been pretty wet this year so far but I saw a lawn/tree company deep watering some trees yesterday on my ride..Using the below doohicky..I have one..for those familiar with Colorado clime and trees..should I deep water and how often? This year? Every year?

Grazie.

[unterhausen]

That's an intriguing idea, but we have a sheet of shale 2' down from the surface. It's amazing that any of our trees are still standing.

[El Chaba]

WRT tree root depth, that device is not very deep. I guess you could say it's not on the surface. Where I am in Maryland we have been very hot and dry for about six weeks, and at my house we have managed to miss most everything from the spotty thunderstorm activity-which has been rare. There are older plantings like a few hydrangeas that are about 50 years old that have required watering. Once a tree is established, unless the root system has been compromised, it should not require watering. For a newer planting or a compromised tree, you might take a few 5 gallon buckets and drill a few holes in the bottom...fill them and set them under the drip line of the tree to allow a slow (but limited) soaking.

[zap]

When we lived in Maryland I used a soaker hose. Worked like a charm during dry spells.

Have not had a need for them yet in NC........good thing because either I left the hoses behind or the movers from hell lost them.

[Tickdoc]

around here, these seem to work best, but our clime and trees are very different with short dry winters and long dry summers (except for this year!)

[unterhausen]

I'm not sure what the dirt is like in Colorado, but in Utah it's not dirt, it's sand. Lots of tree species are non-native in that environment. Just about anything will grow on the east coast of the U.S., unless it's something that hates a lot of water. I know we get dry spells, but nothing like the western U.S.

[Dave]

I've been growing new trees since 2012 on my 2 acre lot near the devil's backbone. The soil is generally quite sandy, so top watering will work down. I only have drip irrigation and my trees have grown quickly. The bigger problem can be a dry winter, with little snow in the foothills. I nearly always apply some water, once a month to my trees and bluegrass if it's dry. Watering the pasture grass in the winter is not practical and I do get some winter kill as a result.

I'm fortunate to have ditch water irrigation, so I can keep my whole lot green in the summer, until the ditch quits running. After that, I have to use city water and limit my watering to trees and maybe 8000 square feet of blue grass.

[jghall]

Was going to mirror Doc on the bag treatment.

[Jaybee]

Not quite sure what the soil map looks like in Boulder, but down here in the Golden/Wheat Ridge/Lakewood area, it's so clayey and drains so poorly that my challenge is not overwatering new plantings.

[OtayBW]

Originally Posted by Jaybee

Not quite sure what the soil map looks like in Boulder, but down here in the Golden/Wheat Ridge/Lakewood area, it's so clayey and drains so poorly that my challenge is not overwatering new plantings.

Correct. To the OP (OP), it all depends on your local soil conditions. High Available Water Holding Capacity (e.g., high clay soil) does not necessarily equate to high Moisture Supplying Capacity (clay does not release moisture easily). Shallow to shale as one poster indicated would also not benefit from deep watering. See if you can get someone to check out your local soil type/conditions and make a recommendation....or bore/dig a small hole and see what you're working with. You may well be better off with a shallow drip system. It just depends....

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by OtayBW

Correct. To the OP (OP), it all depends on your local soil conditions. High Available Water Holding Capacity (e.g., high clay soil) does not necessarily equate to high Moisture Supplying Capacity (clay does not release moisture easily). Shallow to shale as one poster indicated would also not benefit from deep watering. See if you can get someone to check out your local soil type/conditions and make a recommendation....or bore/dig a small hole and see what you're working with. You may well be better off with a shallow drip system. It just depends....

CSU Extension should be helpful here. Public outreach is part of the point of a land grant institution. Or just go find the knowledgeable person at a local nursery or landscape place.

[OtayBW]

Originally Posted by Jaybee

CSU Extension should be helpful here. Public outreach is part of the point of a land grant institution. Or just go find the knowledgeable person at a local nursery or landscape place.

Additionally, see if there is a local Soil Survey office, or a local Soil Conservationist - both available through the USDA National Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service). They will likely be able to supply you with soil maps (and interpretation) for your area. GL.

[YesNdeed]

Boulder soil type is probably similar to where I am, sandy and claylike. When I planted my most recent tree about 2 years ago, I didn't see any difference in soil types 2-3 feet down. So, besides reducing or eliminating evaporation, I'm not sure what the advantage of using one those stake things is over a slow trickle directly from the hose, letting gravity do its job. The root stock is going down a lot further than the stake's reach anyway. Don't get me wrong, water conservation is big advantage in the high desert where water is scarce and sacred. But, I'd be up for trying a coiling soaker hose ring, buried in mulch to minimize evaporation. Oh, and thanks for reminding me to water!

[Tony]

One can do a simple test themselves, ribbon test. This tests shows how much sand, silt and clay is present in the soil.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fufeaLBLGlk

[Luwabra]

ive used a 5 gal bucket with one small hole drilled in the bottom near the edge put the hole next to the trunk and walk away. the bags look similar. that contraption the OP posted does look interesting tho.