Water tree seedlings if you are in dry zones

[DougA]

Just a reminder that some of us suddenly went from lots of rain in June/early July to very hot & dry this week. I was just checking some of my 1 & 2 yr. tree seedlings and I spent the last few hours in the heat giving them water. Some were showing definite signs of being too dry.
I fill 2 large Rubbermaid garbage bins full of water in my trailer and drove the tractor around and gave each one 1 gallon of water. The soil was shockingly dry. By the end of this week's heat wave, it would have been too late for many of them.

 

[semipro]

I'm seeing the same thing in SW Virginia.
I have 5 gal. buckets each with a small hole in the bottom. I sit one by the tree needing water and then fill the bucket. It leaks slowly and saturates the soil around the tree.

 

[begreen]

Locally we are in a rain shadow on top of this drought. Since mid-May we've had less than .2" of rain. In the past month only .05". Forest trees are definitely showing stress. It starting to look like some maples and alders will not make it. Overall the leaves are already starting to turn color on some trees. I'm watering my young trees every other day now.

 

[semipro]

I planted my garden a full month early this year with no losses to frost.
Now I'm having to water my garden for the 1st time in our 14 years here
Possible outliers I know but you'd almost think the climate was changing...

 

[blacktail]

Locally we are in a rain shadow on top of this drought. Since mid-May we've had less than .2" of rain. In the past month only .05". Forest trees are definitely showing stress. It starting to look like some maples and alders will not make it. Overall the leaves are already starting to turn color on some trees. I'm watering my young trees every other day now.

I'm watering the mature trees near my house now too. I started doing it after one of the big maples in my front yard dropped a huge branch. The big maples and cedars close to my house are getting the sprinkler near them for an hour once a week.

 

[begreen]

I would water some of the larger trees but we are on a community water system that has a tiered billing system to encourage conservation. Use a lot of water and you pay more. Our water bill this summer will exceed our heating bill.

 

[Ashful]

Been doing the 5 gallon bucket with three 1/8" holes in the bottom myself. Got six buckets and 30 new trees, so each gets water every 5th day... or every 3rd day, when I get ambitious.

 

[begreen]

When do you find time to work?