Insufficient moisture in the soil negatively affects the condition of any plant, this also applies to large fruit trees. They quickly age, sharply lose their productivity, their fruiting is reduced, for them the threat of freezing in winter becomes more real. But excessive moisture should not be considered a favorable circumstance either: moisture displaces oxygen from the soil and contributes to the accumulation of carbon dioxide, which can lead to the death of roots or inhibition of the root system.

When to Water Fruit Trees

To maintain health and fertility, you should know when to water. fruit trees. AT special care plants need in the first few years after transplantation: during this period, the crown is actively formed and the root system is developing, but the existing roots of the tree are not yet powerful enough to provide all the needs of the plant. If the summer is dry, then the seedlings will need to be watered 5-8 times per season, if it is moderately humid, then 3-4 times. For a young tree, 2-4 buckets of water will be enough, for a seven-eight year old - from 10 to 15.

Watering is recommended to coincide with certain stages of plant development: spring watering produce in early spring before bud break. AT next time the tree will require an increased amount of water after two weeks after the end of flowering. Moisten the soil a couple of weeks before the predicted harvest. special meaning has abundant moisture-charging watering before the tree leaves for wintering.

Perform winter irrigation fruit trees especially important if the autumn is dry. If in October the plant does not store enough moisture, then drying out of the wood can lead to freezing of the tree in winter, well-moistened soil freezes to a lesser extent.

The rate of water application during late autumn irrigation is about 5-6 buckets per square meter. area meter. Water should be introduced into the grooves made along the circumference around the trunk, the opinion that it is useful to water trees in near-stem funnels is not correct. The area in which the peripheral roots are located, which work more actively, needs more moisture. In principle, increased moistening of the soil adjacent to the vertical root is not required; moreover, modern agronomy is of the opinion that it is harmful to the plant.

Watering rules

To water trees correctly, you should have an idea of ​​​​how the root system works. It is generally accepted that the depth of the root zone, and hence the zone where the roots can actively absorb water, is as follows:

1. for non-fruiting young trees, pears and apple trees - from 0.5 to 0.7 m
2. fruiting on dwarf rootstocks, in fruiting stone fruit trees it is from 0.5 to 0.7 m
3. for adult currant bushes - up to 0.7 m, for young ones - up to 0.4 m
4. gooseberries - from 0.25 in young to 0.6 in adult plants.

More abundant and frequent watering will be required for plants on low-growing rootstocks that have a weak root system. Full-grown gardens can be watered less often. To ensure the safety of moisture, mulching of the soil around the trunk circle is used. Last watering of apple trees autumn-winter varieties produced no later than 2-3 weeks before harvesting.

Different watering methods

It is considered economical and fairly simple to arrange drip irrigation trees. With this method, water enters slowly, directly into the root zone, its distribution occurs in two directions: vertical and horizontal. If the tree is large, then it is better to equip two droppers on opposite sides of the trunk; for small seedlings, one system will be enough.

Depending on how much water is required to be added, watering will be needed for a period of 1 to 3 days. The duration of watering is also affected by the rate at which water flows out of the system. Drip irrigation can be used both on flat areas and on slopes, it is effective on different types of soil.

Today, the industry produces drip irrigation systems different type. It should be noted that the main disadvantage of droppers is their tendency to accumulate salts and solid impurities, and as a result - clogging.

Good results are obtained by watering trees by the method sprinkling. Water, which is supplied by sprinklers, is absorbed by the soil evenly, does not lead to its erosion and siltation. Sprinkler systems are also used for watering berry crops.

Recently, the method has gained popularity irrigation in wells. They are built 1 by 1.5 -2 square meters. meters., in the trunk circle. The diameter of the well should have a diameter of 0.1 to 0.12 m, a depth of up to 0.5 m. The well is covered with sand, broken bricks, gravel. In autumn, these wells will need to be insulated to prevent the possibility of soil freezing. Through the wells, you can make not only water, but also nutrient solutions.

How to determine the amount of water when watering from a hose

Sometimes you have to combine watering trees with a hose with other garden work. The hose is placed in the prepared hole and left for a while. It is impossible to determine exactly, and sometimes even approximately, how much water got under a tree. To prevent the situation, it should be noted how long a full bucket is collected from the hose, then, in accordance with the irrigation rate, the amount of time required to find the hose under each of the trees is calculated.

• It is not the frequency of watering that matters, but their usefulness - four, but plentiful waterings will be enough for an adult tree. If the harvest is not high, then only two irrigations are carried out.
• From frequent watering a small amount of water will not benefit, but harm.
• For clay soil, rare watering with a large amount of water is required, for sandy soil - more frequent, with less consumption.
• Watering trees during flowering is not done - it is organized during the period when the ovary begins to grow.
• Do not pour water on root collar tree, but evenly on the entire near-trunk part of the soil.
• It is impossible to allow the roots to be exposed during the moistening of the soil, if nevertheless this happened, they should be immediately covered with soil.
• If the garden is ennobled with turf, then when watering, you should use large quantity water.
• It is impossible to say for sure how often to water trees - watering is planned depending on the weather, the needs of plants for irrigation, and the quality of the soil in which they grow.
• It is not recommended to additionally moisten the soil during the ripening period of the crop - this can provoke cracking and falling of the fruit.
• The final watering of the season is carried out during the period of active leaf fall.
• Early varieties of pear and apple trees need more watering.
• Seed varieties should be watered more frequently than stone fruits.
• The more ovaries on the tree, the more abundant watering it needs.

If the autumn turned out to be dry, then you will have to do a deep additional watering. fruit and berry trees Location on. Or in other words - to carry out moisture charging of the garden before wintering. It has been established that dry land is colder, and insufficiently moist soil contributes to the freezing of tree roots. And if the winter is frosty and snowless, the trees may even die. And do not rely on autumn rains - they are completely unable to solve this problem. The rain only wets upper layer soil, which is not always enough for a root system that has grown deep into.

1. Podzimny watering is used in gardens where there is no regular watering. If by the beginning of autumn it turns out that there is not enough moisture in the soil, then there is a danger of freezing of the roots and crown during winter frosts. Strongly dried soil with drizzling autumn rain is moistened only superficially. With coming low temperatures this layer instantly freezes, which leads to damage much more serious than with dry soil. If the soil in the garden is wetted by one and a half to two meters, then in winter it will not freeze. Even if there were many rainy days in your area at the end of the year, they still wet the ground by no more than thirty centimeters. This may be enough for shrubs, but for trees it will definitely not be enough. Therefore, do not be lazy and additionally water fruit trees.

2. When conducting winter watering, follow the golden rule : Water until the dried layer is wetted to meet the remaining summer moisture. Usually, in those places where there was no constant watering, it is necessary to spend at least 80 - 100 liters per square meter of the near-stem circle of an apple tree. If at a depth of 60 - 70 centimeters the soil is still wet, then the amount of water can be reduced by about half.


3. It is not recommended to apply winter watering on heavy clay soils and in lowland areas. But if the soil in the garden is forest, sandy loam or podzolic, then winter watering will benefit.

4. If you spend winter watering in the fall, then by the beginning of the spring awakening of the garden, the soil will be moistened to a depth of about 2 meters. At the same time, the water will not be used by the trees immediately, but will have its beneficial effect next year - at the beginning of the growing season.

5. Podzimny watering spend in the last days of October or early November , then there is no chance of resumption of plant growth. Only then will you receive positive result during wintering of fruit trees and their subsequent development after spring awakening.

6. Autumn, winter and winter watering, as well as spring ones, spend moderately. After watering is completed, be sure to check the depth to which the soil has soaked. If there is too much moisture, then the water and air permeability of the soil will deteriorate sharply, the root system may still suffer, and hence the tree as a whole. If the site is located in a place with loved ones groundwater or on soil with poor drainage, then it is not worth doing autumn and winter irrigation. In the southern regions, where the climate is mild, the soil should not be saturated with water even in winter, since there the roots do not stop their vital activity during this period.

7. Combine winter watering with top dressing. Dig grooves and lay rotted manure there, fill in the ashes, mineral fertilizers. Then nutrients, together with water, will penetrate directly to the roots.

8. After watering, after a few days, mulch the tree trunks. Hill up the near-trunk circles with earth with garden compost, mixing sawdust and straw into it. The mulch prepared in this way will perfectly protect the root system from frost and wind, and will retain moisture in the near-stem circle.

In the first years after planting, trees are in great need of water. It is imperative to water them. In areas with sufficient rainfall during spring and the first half of summer, trees are watered three to four times, and in dry areas six to eight times.

Watering fruit trees should be plentiful, able to wet the soil to a depth of at least 50-60 centimeters. In areas of sufficient moisture for one watering per newly planted wood spend two or three buckets water , and in arid - three or four buckets. For a seven to ten year old tree watering rate increases to ten - fifteen buckets. Average water rate per 1 square meter trunk circle is two or three buckets, and sometimes four or five buckets.

Irrigation in annular grooves

For better moisture retention and bringing water closer to the bulk of the roots watering produce not superficially, but into annular grooves who do by trunk circle in the amount of two or three. On heavy soils annular grooves do depth 10-15 centimeters, 20 centimeters wide at a distance of no closer than 1 meter from the trunk. After the water has been absorbed into the soil, annular grooves fall asleep and trunk circles align.

In irrigated areas, it is best to carry out furrow irrigation .

For Polive and fruit trees in a young garden it is enough to arrange one furrow on each side of the row at a distance of about 60-80 centimeters from the trees. AT home gardens fully justifies itself "cup" watering , directly to trunk circles ( ""). After watering, the soil in the garden is loosened.

Video: How to properly care for fruit trees

How to properly care for fruit trees

When caring for a young garden, it is necessary to ensure the survival of all planted fruit trees, create conditions for good growth seedlings and building correct crown tree, as well as to ensure the early entry of trees at the time of fruiting.

Water is part of all the tissues of the fruit tree. To create 1 kg of dry matter, an apple tree consumes 300-400 kg of water. With a lack of moisture in the soil, growth slows down, the yield and frost resistance of the tree decrease. Excess moisture is also harmful. If the soil is waterlogged, then there is not enough air for the roots, microbiological activity decreases, ferrous forms of iron and manganese accumulate - poisonous to plants. The apple tree and plum tree are the most demanding for water, the cherry tree needs less watering.

Practice shows that abundant and rare watering of fruit trees is more beneficial than watering in small doses. When watering, it is necessary to wet the soil to the depth of the roots: the irrigation rate for an apple tree is 60-80 cm, pears - 40-50 cm, cherries - 30-40 cm, plums - 20-30 cm. This requires 1 sq. meter on light sandy and sandy soils 4-5 buckets, on loamy soils the norm is 6-7 buckets of water.

Sample schedule for watering fruit trees

In the first year after planting the tree, the near-stem circle is watered 4-5 times per season, 2-3 buckets for watering under an apple tree and a pear, and 1-2 buckets for a cherry and a plum. In the following years, the watering rate is increased, 2-3 buckets are added for each year of the tree's life.

The first watering of fruit trees is carried out immediately after flowering, and in the case of early spring with dry and hot weather, watering is started before flowering. The second watering is carried out after 15-20 days, which contributes to a better fruit set. The third watering is carried out in the summer after the second during fruiting. early varieties and the formation of fruits of late varieties. In September, the fourth watering is carried out, which is favorable for the growth of roots and the filling of fruits of late varieties.

For cherries and plums, 3-4 waterings are enough: at the beginning of summer, 2 weeks before fruit ripening, after harvesting.

The last watering that the garden needs - moisture charging - is needed to create moisture reserves for the spring, improve wintering. It is held in mid-October.

Methods for watering fruit trees

The most common watering in near-stem bowls, along furrows, sprinkling, drip irrigation and subsoil irrigation.

When watering in bowls under a tree, a roller is made according to the size of the crown and filled with water. In the spring, earthen rollers perform the function of retaining melt water. When irrigating along the furrows under the crown of the tree, ring furrows are cut at a distance of 0.5-0.8 m from each other with a depth of 10-15 cm so as not to damage the roots (closer to the trunk, the depth of the furrows is less). Water is let through the furrows to saturate the soil, while a board or other object is substituted under the jet of water from the hose to reduce the speed of the jet and prevent destruction of the soil structure.

Sprinkling - The best way watering the garden. It provides uniform and slow wetting of the soil and humidifies the air. To do this, use various devices and nozzles for spraying water.

Drip irrigation and subsoil irrigation involves laying a system of pipes with branches, to which pipes with tips are attached, from which water is supplied. In subsoil irrigation, water is supplied under pressure through humidifiers buried in the soil. Water is supplied to the zone of development of the root system.

Never water fruit trees under the trunk. Suction roots are behind the projection of the crown. The bulk of the irrigation water should be supplied between the rows of a fruit-bearing garden.

To reduce water consumption for garden irrigation, to reduce the evaporation of soil moisture, it is necessary to keep the soil in a loose and weed-free state, to form a good agronomically valuable soil structure. After each watering and some drying of the soil, it is loosened to break the capillaries and mulched with peat, humus, rotted manure, and sawdust.

In autumn, when digging the soil, leave its surface uneven: it absorbs water better when the snow melts. In the spring, as the soil dries up, they harrow it and create a loose topsoil, which ensures better heating of the soil.

Watering plants - what could be easier, take a hose, turn on the water and water, but even here there are rules. So what is the right way to water trees?
With a lack of moisture, it is difficult for the roots to absorb nutrients, which leads to a decrease in yield, the quality of fruits deteriorates, and growth also slows down.
To prevent this from happening, apple trees and pears need to be watered. The main mistake that novice gardeners often make is watering often in small quantities. Such watering will not bring any benefit to your tree at all.
An exception would be a garden planted with dwarf forms, in dwarf and semi-dwarf forms the roots are located close to the surface, here watering is needed more often and not so plentiful.
If you have vigorous forms of trees growing, then you need to water abundantly so that the water soaks the soil to the depth of the main roots. Seedlings planted in the past and current year need watering especially acutely, as the rooting process is underway. It is necessary to water them during the summer about 3-4 times, depending on the weather. Older trees, as well as fruit-bearing trees, are watered less often 2-3 times during the summer.

1 time: Watering must be done before flowering (if the weather is dry).
2 times: Watering is carried out after the tree drops excess ovaries.
3 times: Watering is carried out only in case of dry weather and then two weeks before fruit ripening summer varieties trees - not later.

How to determine soil moisture

Before you are going to water the tree, you need to take a handful of earth from a depth of 45 cm and squeeze it in your hand, if the lump crumbles after unclenching your palm, then you need to water it. This moisture test is not suitable for sandy soils.

How to properly water trees

You need to water in pre-made circular furrows 12 cm deep around the tree. For young trees, many grooves should not be made, just one along the periphery of the trunk circle is enough.
For big trees make three to four furrows, one of them is taken out of the crown projection by 25-35 cm, the rest must be done under the crown.

In October, if the weather is dry, winter watering is done, which will reduce the risk of freezing of the roots, and also provide moisture to the growing roots.

From the article you learned I hope my advice is helpful to you.