How to water a tree ?

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I got this Chinese Pistache in the backyard that might need some water. Usually it gets water from the annual rainfall, but there's been no rain this year. So now the tree has to depend on me for water. How far away from the trunk should I go to apply the water?
 
My dad's neighbor planted one of those back in the early 90s sometime between their houses. She always kept one of those small rotating/spinning sprinklers on hers. She kept the range the exact circumference of the branches,giving it a slow deep watering. BEAUTIFUL tree,especially in the fall!! And it got HUGE!! She's a retired microbiology professor and definitely knows plants. Her yard looks like a botanical garden,it's breathtaking!!
 
"Exact circumference of the branches." Interesting.
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
"Exact circumference of the branches." Interesting.
smile.gif



That's what I've heard as well. The roots will extend out roughly as far as the branches.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
"Exact circumference of the branches." Interesting.
smile.gif



Drenching roots under the canopy away from the trunk...
Think about it...Water is likely more easily drawn into smaller diameter root ends away from the trunk than by the thicker part of the roots closer to the trunk...
 
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Where you gonna get the water to water it?

Gonna use some bottled water from the grocery store? Lol
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Where you gonna get the water to water it?

Gonna use some bottled water from the grocery store? Lol

Last year by this time we had more than 10 ripe tomato, this year I rarely water it and so far we had none. The plant is barely 18-20" tall after 2 months in the ground.

No water no tomato.
 
How about the washing machine?

Wait till it hits rinse, stop it, extend the hose or put it in a bucket, restart, presto....
 
Originally Posted By: KitaCam
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
"Exact circumference of the branches." Interesting.
smile.gif



Drenching roots under the canopy away from the trunk...
Think about it...Water is likely more easily drawn into smaller diameter root ends away from the trunk than by the thicker part of the roots closer to the trunk...


Interesting point, makes sense, the finer root ends present more surface area for absorption.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
"Exact circumference of the branches." Interesting.
smile.gif



It's called the drip line. Most trees and shrubs absorb the most water at the drip line, not around the trunk. So a little common sense would tell you to water at the drip line.
 
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
"Exact circumference of the branches." Interesting.
smile.gif



It's called the drip line. Most trees and shrubs absorb the most water at the drip line, not around the trunk. So a little common sense would tell you to water at the drip line.

Exactly. When it rains, you can stand under a tree and not get wet. The leaves direct the water to the roots, or the drip line.
 
Originally Posted By: KitaCam
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
"Exact circumference of the branches." Interesting.
smile.gif



Drenching roots under the canopy away from the trunk...
Think about it...Water is likely more easily drawn into smaller diameter root ends away from the trunk than by the thicker part of the roots closer to the trunk...


Kita is correct. You never want to allow the trunk to become saturated with standing water for extended periods of time.
 
How big a tree?
For our small 4-5 year old fruit trees, the most efficient way to water them is to put a 5 gallon bucket with a small small hole in the bottom near the base. The water drips out slowly over 10 minutes and all of it goes into the ground. It also goes deeper into the ground encouraging deeper root growth.
For a big tree, I suppose you could set up a few buckets inside the drip line and fill them up once a day, if you are worried about water consumption.
 
Originally Posted By: mattwithcats
How about the washing machine?

Wait till it hits rinse, stop it, extend the hose or put it in a bucket, restart, presto....

Grey water recycling. Surely they do this in dry CA?? I know someone who puts a 5 gallon bucket in the shower to catch the water that is wasted before it gets warm enough.
 
Originally Posted By: rshaw125
Originally Posted By: mattwithcats
How about the washing machine?

Wait till it hits rinse, stop it, extend the hose or put it in a bucket, restart, presto....

Grey water recycling. Surely they do this in dry CA?? I know someone who puts a 5 gallon bucket in the shower to catch the water that is wasted before it gets warm enough.

We did this for many years. Each day we get 6-7 gallons of cool water from handheld shower head to water our plants.

The rinse water from a washing machine still have some soap in it, I think it is unusable for water the plants.
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
"Exact circumference of the branches." Interesting.
smile.gif



That's what I've heard as well. The roots will extend out roughly as far as the branches.
they can and do go further depending on the soil and watering area.
 
When you are trying to save a village, you are bound to loose a hut or two............
 
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