The Sprucery

Watering

Rough Watering Guidelines for Trees

Spring Through Fall

As a general rule of thumb, most trees require 10 gallons per caliper (diameter) inch of trunk per week. This total water requirement per week needs to be divided into three or more separate watering’s per week to get the total water required. For example, a 3” caliper tree would need roughly about 30 gallons total per week if you watered the tree 3 times per week with the garden hose you would give the tree around 10 gallons of water per time to equal the total of 30 gallons per week.

Trunk Size 1.5” = 15 Gallons Per Week = 2 Gallons Per Day or 5 Gallons 3x Per Week
Trunk Size 1.75” = 17.5 Gallons Per Week = 2.5 Gallons Per Day or 6 Gallons 3x Per Week
Trunk Size 2.0” = 20 Gallons Per Week = 3 Gallons Per Day or 7 Gallons 3x Per Week
Trunk Size 2.5” = 25 Gallons Per Week = 3.5 Gallons Per Day 8 Gallons 3x Per Week
Trunk Size 3” = 30 Gallons Per Week = 4 Gallons Per Day or 10 Gallons 3x Per Week
Trunk Size 3.5” = 35 Gallons Per Week = 5 Gallons Per Day or 12 Gallons 3x Per Week
Trunk Size 4” = 40 Gallons Per Week = 6 Gallons Per Day or 14 Gallons 3x Per Week

For Evergreen trees a similar scale can be referenced using the trees height instead caliper.
5’-6’ = 15 Gallons, 7’-8’ = 25 Gallons, 9’-10’ = 35 Gallons, 11’-12’ = 45 Gallons and so on.

For Drip Irrigation System ONLY
Drip – Set to water 30 min per day (drip is not on watering restrictions so can run as often as you need) Emitter sizes per perennials, shrubs, and trees

(1) 1gph emitter for #1 size perennials / grasses
(1) 2gph emitters for #3/ #5 size shrubs / grasses
(2) 2gph emitters for 1.5”-1.75” / 5’-6’
(3) 2gph emitters for 2.0”-2.5” / 7’-8’
(4) 2gph emitters for 3.0”-3.5” / 9’-10’
(5) 2gph emitters for 4.0”-4.5” / 11’-12’

For Clumps add sizes of each trunk to calculate correct watering amount.
Plus, in the Summer, water once a week in addition to drip, give it a deep soak by hand watering.

Winter Care Instructions

Watering

Did you know that one FOOT of snow equals one INCH of water? The great state of Colorado faces long, dry periods during the fall and winter which may result in injury to our trees if we don’t take the initiative to water. Newly planted trees generally need about 10 gallons of water for each caliper inch of the tree (you can measure the trunk with a ruler). This means that a 2” diameter tree needs approximately 20 gallons of water per watering! Water should be applied slowly, allowing the water to soak into the soil to a depth of 12 inches or more. Water should be applied at several locations under the drip line and beyond if possible. We recommend that you apply water to all your newly planted trees once per week if there is no snowpack on the ground and the temperature is above 40 degrees Fahrenheit. If it is very cold for one whole week, skip that week and water twice the following week!

Tree Wrapping

As most know, a typical winter day is normally sunny and around 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Due to the angle of the sun during winter, trees
see more intense sunlight which will heat up the southwest facing trunk of a deciduous tree. The heat on trunk will cause cells to become active, which will then freeze and become damaged when the temperatures drop below freezing at night. Sunscald may appear in trees as sunken or discolored bark, which may crack and fall off later to reveal dead tissue underneath. Young deciduous trees (non-evergreen) are the most susceptible to sunscald. Thin barked trees such as honey locusts, fruit trees, ashes, oaks, maples, lindens, and willows are at highest risk. To prevent sunscald on trees, they should be wrapped in commercial trunk wrap of a light color. Beginning at the base of the tree, wrap upwards to a point just above the lowest branches, overlapping 33 percent with each turn. Secure the ends of the wrap by taping around the trunk with electrical tape. Do not use duct tape or other similar tapes as this may result in girdling. In April, remove the tree wrap. Newly planted trees should be wrapped for at least two winters after being planted or until the bark becomes “rough”.