We’ve hit the rainy season here in DC. And you’d be forgiven for thinking that means our street trees can rely on Mother Nature for their needed water. But sadly you’d be mistaken. We still need to water our street trees, particularly those recently planted.
The thing about out nearly daily afternoon monsoons is that they are over relatively quickly. And while a lot can come down in that short time, it mostly runs right into the sewer (hence the brief flooding spells we’ll see on the street). The ground hardly has chance at all to absorb the water before it’s gone.
That’s why trees still need long deep waterings every week. Specifically, young trees need a full 25 gallons a week. If there’s a relatively new tree on your block with one of those water bags around it, you should fill it up, and that will suffice. If you don’t have a bag, set your hose to a low dribble and leave it in the tree box for twenty minutes.
Keep doing this until the leaves fall in the autumn. Although if you want to double check on the need to water, Casey Trees lets you know right on their homepage.
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