How To Water A Tree

Austin, Texas has soil and weather conditions that pose a bit of a
challenge to those who wish to water trees. There is little soil in this
area with a few exceptions. (Nothing about trees or soil can be
written in stone. So, I will just do what I can to get information out
there that will help.) What soil there is has so little water retention
capacity that it dries out very quickly. The rains come in short down
bursts that drench the soil beyond its capacity to hold water and
after the soil is saturated the rest of the rain is lost as runoff or
penetrates the soil where it runs off along the rock below the
surface. The trees get some water, but not enough. It is like giving a
person a sip of water when they are dying of thirst. The trees get a
good drink only when it rains for a day or more.
Trees drink water from the micro pores (small spaces) of the soil.
The very small roots called "hair roots" do the drinking and they are
found out toward the ends of the roots. The roots near the trunk are
very large, like the limbs are where they branch out from the trunk,
and get smaller and smaller as they get further from the trunk. That
is why it is said to water the trees out near the drip line, which is the
outer reaches of the limbs where the water drips from the leafs at
the extremity of the canopy. There are hair roots a little closer in and
a little further out, so we can give the trees water and nutrition in
the area just inside the drip line and just outside it. Trees are all
different and species of trees vary greatly in root structure. But you
can be fairly certain that you are water you trees when you water
under the drip line. Water applied near the trunk is mostly a waste
though there are likely to be some hair roots from adjacent trees in
that area that will benefit from the water.
The next thing to know is that roots provide water to all parts of the
tree. It is not true that a certain root only supplies a certain part of
the tree even though there is some factual understanding in the
notion that certain parts of a tree are first to receive the production
of certain roots. The affects of this are uncertain but appear to have
some influence in the survival of a certain part of a tree when lack of
water stresses a tree to death or near death. We see this when we
see a tree with one major artery alive while the rest of the tree is

dead. I think that when there is only a "sip" of water available to a

tree, the parts that get the water first are the last to die or the only
ones to survive. So, when you want to water a tree you can do so by
watering a section of the root zone provided you supply ample
moisture over a sufficient amount of time.
Water must be available to the roots long enough to sufficiently
hydrate the tree and all its systems. A tree can hang on to life
surprisingly well with just a small amount of water. I have seen trees
in our area go over six months without a drop of water without
dying. It is a strength the trees have to more or lesser degrees
depending on the tree's condition. Different species of trees have
various degrees of ability to withstand the lack of moisture, "drought
tolerance" as they say. Here again, nothing is written in stone.
Drought tolerant trees can die quickly if they are suffering other
types of stress at the same time as the water shortage. A poorly
developed root system will cause a member of a drought tolerant
species to die before an example of a less tolerant species with
fewer stress factors. There are many variables that come into play,
as in all aspects of life. That being said, one must consider the fact
that the roots pick up the water and the leafs draw the water up to
them where they transpire it into the atmosphere along with other
things, like oxygen.
The transpiration process replenishes the tree's systems. It removes
waste and toxins. It re-supplies the cells and helps the tree to
regulate itself and to defend itself. This and much more must go on
sufficiently for the tree to be considered to have gotten a "good
drink." In our area that means making water available to the root
system for a sufficient period of time and in sufficient quantity.
Grass is better at getting water from a brief shower than trees. A
good way to help your trees get plenty of moisture in our hot dry
climate is to remove the grass that is growing out under the canopy
and replacing it with a shallow layer of good mulch. It appears that
few are willing to make this change to the landscape, so more water
is required. Competition for water is ubiquitous. There is no getting
away from it, so we have to make sure there is enough for all takers,
and done right this can be a water frugal process.

Water demand by trees varies by season and by the conditions of

the seasons. Usually, there is no need to water a mature tree. Only
when it hasn't rained a full day in a month is it necessary to water a
tree. Stressed trees require more frequent watering according to
their condition, including the stress of being planted. Extremely hot
dry weather will warrant a bit more frequent watering. The length of
time to make water available varies as well, but as a general rule it
is safe to recommend watering a mature tree for at least eight
hours, bigger trees longer, smaller trees a little less. Giving a giant
live oak a watering over its entire root system that last for twentyfour hours is a good drink. This is rather impractical for all but
Mother Nature. We can make sure the trees survive by getting water
to them sufficient for survival.
There is a lot to the biology and even the mechanics of watering a
tree. Considering all the details I have brought forward here and
many more, it can be seen that watering must be done in a way that
is deliberate and calculated. I can't prescribe a technique that fits
every situation, but I can get close. If you still have questions after
reading this, please call me for help. I love to help trees. Now I will
attempt to describe what must be done. I am tailoring the technique
to the Austin area, but with a little thought you can translate the
information for use in your area.

When To Water A Tree

When it is time to water, go out with your garden hose and find an
area out near the drip line and beyond. If there are many trees in
the area they will have roots mingled in some areas. Assume that
the tree has a normal root structure to find the area where the roots
might be mingled in the greatest quantity, if you want to water them
all. Begin by running the water into the area at full volume until you
have watered the soil to a depth of eighteen inches or to the rock
below the soil, which ever comes first. In our area there is usually
only a few inches of soil on top of the rock layers. Saturate a pie
shaped section of the circle described by the tree's canopy.

It is hard to find a tree in an urban area that has a root circle

described by the canopy that is not interrupted by structures or
property lines but for this explanation we will assume a perfectly
placed root zone making a nice circle.You will probably have to
imagine the circle. Now, the distance from the trunk to the ends of
the branches is the radius of the canopy. Divide that distance by
three and increase the radius of you circle by the amount you get.
That is one third added to the radius of the canopy. That will define
the size of the circle you are to work with. It varies widely by
circumstances and species. A tree that is growing next to a house
will have its roots mostly on the side away from the house. Other
man made and natural obstacles impede the development of a
natural full root system. Consider these factors when selecting a
place to water. Once you have defined your circle, slice it like a pie
into three to six pieces depending on the circumstances and water
one of those slices of soil. If you keep the moisture available long
enough, the entire tree and maybe its neighbors will get a good
drink. It is, of course, better to water the entire roots zone, but that
is quite a bit more difficult. Nature does it best with good, slow, long
rain.
When the soil is porous and shallow like it is here, you will have to
saturate the area to be watered and then stop the flow of water into
the soil. If you have saturated the soil, any more water added is lost
to the tree you are trying to water. If you have deep soil, it will take
longer to saturate the soil, but you will not have to add water as
frequently as you will shallow porous soil. Water runs through most
of the Austin soils as quickly as it would a screen door. So, you will

soon saturate the soil. Wait a while then come back and add water
to the watering zone. A good sprinkler can do a good job once the
soil is saturated. Soaker hoses usually put too little water into the
zone, especially during our hot weather. If you put the coils of hose
an inch or two apart it might work provided the output volume is
sufficient. How will you know if you are watering enough? There is
really only one way.
There are tools that can be bought that make the job easier, but
they are all version of the same thing, unless you get into electronic
measuring devices, which actually do the same thing you can do
with your eyes. Apply water at a certain volume that you can
reproduce easily for a certain amount of time that you measure over
a given area then dig a hole in the area and see how far the water
went. If the water is not to the desired depth, keep watering until it
is. Once you do this and keep a written record, unless your memory
is astonishing, you will know how much and how long to water. After
that just keep adding water frequently enough to maintain the
proper moisture level, which means wet, and keep it wet for a day
more or less according to the conditions of the weather, the soil, and
the tree. Keep the soil very wet without allowing it to run off or run
through the soil as best you can.
If your watering area is inclined and the soil is very hard, it will run
away down the slope instead of into the ground. You can use this
sometimes. Let it run down the slope if it running in the right
direction, over roots. If the water is not penetrating the soil, break
the surface with a hand tool so it can soak into the soil. You can dig
little ditches in the first inch or two of soil to channel the water
where you want it. Don't cut any roots. You may damage the hair
roots some, but they grow back. In fact, they change out every year
like leafs do. If you do damage a root, don't worry, it will repair itself.
It is very hard to over water a tree in our area. In places where the
soil has a high clay content or where the soil is deep and rich you
could conceivably over water a tree. All you have to do to make sure
you are not over watering is to allow the soil to dry out for at least
four or five days between waterings. Soil expands when it gets wet
and contracts when it gets dry. This helps aerate the soil and insures
that the tree does not drown. Bear in mind that I am not saying
water then wait four or five days. I am saying wait four or five days

after the soil has become completely dry. Planted trees, again, are
the exception. It is most common to water only once a month if the
tree is well established and in good health

How To Water A Tree During A

Drought
During a drought it is essential to supply trees with enough water to
survive. I have seen pecan trees damaged and/or killed by a drought
that lasted seventeen months. I have seen hackberry and chinaberry
trees be the first to die during a prolonged drought. This year (2011)
the drought is killing the cedar elm trees first. Even with all my
years of experience and study I cannot explain why one species is
the first to die one year and another the first to die another year.
There are too many variables to make it the answer easy to find.
Timing is certainly of vital consequence and many other factors are
involved. This makes it necessary to observe the condition of the
trees. With a little effort it becomes easy to detect drought strees in
trees. So, get the vital drink to those that need it most and then
water the other trees. Remember, during a severe drought you goal
will be to help the trees survive. Like people crossing the desert,
even a sip regularly will keep one alive.