MOTHER NATURE NETWORK
How much is your tree making you?
Why capitalists should be treehuggers: Trees save you cold hard cash. A new calculator tells you just how much your tree is netting you.

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San Antonio Drought and Watering

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

The current drought in San Antonio is taking a toll on our trees. We are getting a large volume of calls concerning dead and dying trees all over San Antonio. Drought and high temperatures are a one-two punch as trees sweat moisture from their leaves in a process called transpiration. As temperatures climb, transpiration kicks into overdrive. During a drought, there isn’t enough water in the soil to replenish the water lost. If you are concerned that your trees need immediate attention, inquire about our hydro injection service, otherwise you want to be sure your trees have an adequate amount of water available to them.

Tree Watering Tips

How to water? established trees should be watered around the drip line, while newly planted trees should be watered closer to the the trunk.

How often to water? Distressed trees should be watered at least once every two weeks after the last significant rainfall.

When to water? If you water the tree with a hand held water hose, you can water any time on any day. You can water before 10am on your watering day with an irrigation system, and using a hose end sprinkler you can water after 7pm on your watering day.

How much water? This general guideline can be used to determine how much water your tree needs.

For each inch of trunk diameter (width across) measured at knee height, the tree will need about 10 gallons. A 12” tree, then, would need about 10 x 12 = 120 gal of water.

Time: When you hand water using a hose at medium pressure, it will take approximately 5 minutes to produce 10 gallons of water. For example, a 10” diameter tree should have a total watering time of 10” x 5 minutes = 50 minutes.

Adjust the watering time according to the method of application. Using a drip or soaker hose will take significantly more time to release 10 gallons of water than an open hose at medium pressure. Consider performing your own experiment at home to determine your application rate! Feel free to email us with your results.