advice, please:watering newly planted trees and shrubs

10 years ago

This November is revealing itself to be a total freak; we have this high atmospheric pressure field that is blocking the path of the rains that come from the Atlantic ocean into Italy. This ugly situation is supposed to last at least until the last week of November. Now, here's my question. I planted out many young trees and shrubs last month. I watered them once after I'd planted them. Subsequently we had some good,soaking rains,but now, it's been dry since the first days of November.Here's my question: if the soil around the newly planted things is still thoroughly moist ,can they do without my watering them? The sun is very low at this time of year, evaporation rate is very slow,and the air is quite humid in spite of the lack of rain,so I haven't been watering up until now, but with this creepy weather forecast I'm starting to feel uneasy...

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Comments (5)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
if the soil around the newly planted things is still thoroughly moist ,can they do without my watering them?

==>>> if the soil is moist.. you should NOT be watering them ..

water when needed ... not on a schedule .. do not water again.. until the soil dries down to 2 or 3 inches ... insert finger.. and find out ...

fall and winter watering .... is very much less than summer ... mostly because.. for most of us... there simply is NOT enough day heat.. to draw the water out of the soil at depth ... and you didnt list heat as a variable.. so good you asked ...

and we check below soil surface ... because that is where the roots are ... and we really dont care if wind dries the first inch or so ... if you dont have mulch ...

you really have to insert finger.. or use a hand trowel ... to figure out.. how it works.. in your italy .. in your climate.. in your micro climate ... all we can do.. is highlight the variables... and you have to figure it out ...

if.. in my MI ... with ground freeze ... if i plant in october .... and water deeply ... i might not have to water again.. until next may ... [snow melt and heavy mulch] .... but it took me a few years to figure that out ... just like you will ...

bottom line.. too much water.. might be worse than too little ... if you rot the roots off.. its dead ... whereas.. if too little water.. many.. many trees... will cope ...

soooo... dont kill them.. with too much love ... is how i like to sum it up ...

ken
User thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
wisconsitom
10 years ago
The short answer is yes, they should be okay with no additional water. But do this: Make sure that not only the ground around the plant, what i would call the backfill material is moist, but that -this is if they were balled in burlap or potted-the actual material that came with the plant is also moist. sometimes, due to dissimilarity of the two soil types, one may soak up water while the other does not, that sort of thing.

But otherwise, moist is moist. One does not need to make it anything beyond that.

+oM
User thanked wisconsitom
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User
Original Author
10 years ago
O, thank you both. That is a relief.
Embothrium
10 years ago
Did you mulch?
User
Original Author
10 years ago
...in the process of doing so.