How Much Water Should You Give Your Fruit Trees?
If you’re used to taking care of a garden, you already know how important water is to the health and growth of your plants. When it comes to fruit trees, however, the volume of water you need to keep them healthy is a bit different compared to flowers or vegetables. We want you to feel confident taking care of your fruit trees so we’ll endeavor to answer the question of how much water you should give your fruit trees.
Watering Young Trees
The age of the tree can have a profound effect on the amount of water it needs to grow at the proper rate. Because young fruit trees need to work harder to establish their root structures in the soil, they need a lot more water than a mature tree does. Watering early on also helps settle the soil around the implanted tree’s root ball, giving it a better start as it begins to grow. A good rule of thumb for how much water to give your fruit trees when they’re young is to do a deep watering once or twice a week depending on their size. Two growing seasons of this kind of watering is usually enough to get it started on the right foot.
Watering Mature Trees
Watering a mature tree doesn’t take quite as much effort as it does when the tree establishes itself for the first time. If you live in a place with a decent amount of natural rainfall, you may not even need to water it manually. However, in drier areas, you’ll want to give it a thorough and deep watering about once a week or two to keep it going. You can improve this process by mulching around the base of your fruit tree, as this helps the soil retain more water, reducing the number of times you’ll need to manually water it.
Other Considerations for Proper Watering
There are a few other things to keep in mind when considering how much to water your fruit trees. If you have a soil that doesn’t drain very well, you need to be extra careful about using too much water as this can inadvertently waterlog your trees’ roots and damage them. For those who take tree care very seriously, drip irrigation systems are a very solid alternative to regular watering that helps trees get the water they need without flooding their root systems.
With Plant Me Green, you can buy potted trees online that will arrive at your home vibrant and healthy. We help you start your trees off the right way so they can grow into strong and beautiful trees that will last far into the future.