It has been another dry summer, even by Calgary standards. Most people assume that large, mature trees don't need any extra water, but that is definitely not the case. Even those big spruce trees that dot the older Calgary landscape appreciate a little extra water now and then. And if you have planted any new trees in the last few years or have fruit trees, you definitely want to baby them with additional water (I'm all about sustainability but if you're growing food, you're going to have to water in Calgary!)
An arborist that I really trust gave me this advice for watering trees:
- Water them with a soaker hose 3-4 times per year, for a full day. This means putting a soaker hose around the drip line (directly under the outermost tips of the branches) and leaving it on a slow drip so the water goes directly to the roots and doesn't run off the soil.
- Specifically, give trees a big drink in mid-April when they're just waking up, early October before the ground freezes, and throughout the summer after we've had 2 weeeks of mid-20 temperatures or above.
That means you should be watering your trees this week!
Update, Sept 24 '09: If you don't believe me, here's another article from Nora Bryan.
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