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Question re: watering shrubs planted in summer

17 years ago

I had some shrubs and a couple of trees (Burford Holly, Tea Olive, Wax Leaf Ligustrum, Giant Cypress (?) and Zelkova tree) planted at the end of July/early August. I've been a slave to keeping them watered and have kept them alive thus far.

Now that it is Fall and getting cooler, can I back off watering them so much or do I still need to keep it up at the same pace?

I tried to do a deep watering at least once a week and sometimes doing it twice. I turned the soaker hoses on the shrubs a few times a week for an hour while I was getting ready for work in the a.m. I've pretty much babied them, but I'm unsure how long to keep it up....just during the heat of summer?

Thanks in advance for suggestions.

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Comments (6)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
17 years ago
insert finger and check soil moisture at the root zone.. or a small hand trowel ...

over watering is probably worse than under ... so you are correct to think about it ...

but i/we cant really tell you how your soil is reacting to your water.. and ma nature ...

good luck

ken
diddlydoo
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks Ken. I realize that you can't tell me how soil is reacting to my water, etc.

I was just asking as a rule of thumb can you usually back off of watering when the weather is cooler? I know I still need to check and that type thing.
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
17 years ago
of course you can back off.. because the heat has backed off.. so evaporation is down .. plus the cooler nights mean the plant can more easily recover lost water ...

so .. of course you need to back off ... but don't let them go into winter dry ... one last good soaking late in the year might make all difference... or ma nature will bless you with sufficient rain during fall ... and they wont need more...

just keep checking the soil ... good luck

ken
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
17 years ago
Well, I'd like to tweak Ken's last comment just a little, if I may. ;-)

By all means you should cut back on the watering. I do wonder if soaker hoses get the job done, however. That would be for you to decide. The water should be allowed to infiltrate as deeply as possible.

Anyway, don't STOP watering through the winter. If many days (couple of weeks) go by without a good rainfall (and I mean more than a sprinkle), then your trees should receive an thorough watering. When Spring comes round again, don't begin babying the plants....but begin to wean them off supplemental water.

I water our new (1 to 2 years in the ground) trees and shrubs only if it hasn't rained in weeks, but they were 'babied' early on.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
17 years ago
oops... rhizo caught me again ... lol

i am in MI ... i have to blow out the water lines and put away hoses around thxgvg ... or they explode ...ergo i stop watering ... as a few weeks later.. the ground freezes ..

i bet all that doesn't happen in northern SC ... lol ...

if i lived in that temperate an area.. i SUSPECT that the hoses might never be put away ...

AND I TOTALLY AGREE WITH WEANING NEXT SEASON ... i only water in drought the second year ... we want its roots to start exploring for the water available.. not going round and round the hole because you keep filling the planting hole ...

good luck

ken
diddlydoo
Original Author
17 years ago
Great advice guys. I think I'll take it.

Thanks

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