Watering Your Trees

If you have new or established trees on your property, it is important that you adequately water this spring.

Black Hawk County is currently in an extreme drought which means all trees will benefit from supplemental watering.

Trees should receive a deep soaking rather than frequent shallow waterings. Most irrigation systems are set for frequent shallow waterings which will not adequately water your trees.

When you plant a tree, cover the area with mulch to help hold moisture, reduce weeds and decrease the soil temperature. 

Water newly planted trees once per day for the first couple of weeks after planting and then once a week after that during growing season. 

During hot, dry weather, new trees may require water as often as three times per week.

Water a newly planted tree by creating a "well" of mulch around the base of your tree and letting a hose slowly run for a couple of hours, filling the "well" and giving the root ball of the tree a good soaking.

When watering an established tree, provide a deep soaking to the entire area beneath the tree canopy, not directly to the trunk. 

There are several methods to do this but a soaker hose may be the most efficient. Ideally you should moisten the soil to a depth of 10" each time you water.