Hand watering an old mulberry tree?

[frdnicholas]

I have a mulberry tree that's at least 10+ years old. The trunk is about 6-8 inches thick. It's beginning to fruit and I[m wondering if I'm wasting my time hand watering it. I don't have access to any other type of watering so I"ve been using my hose to water it for about a couple of minutes a week. Is this a waste, do the roots go deep enough to access water assuming we have no rain for a week or so? I live in Southeast Coastal Georgia so we usually have rain but this week, no rain.

 

[Nevada Yote]

Since the mulberry tree can have a taproot that goes as deep as ten feet, it may do just fine without hand watering. However, watering it a couple of times per month during dry spells won't hurt either. If I were hand watering it, in your location, I would make sure to put down about five gallons each time and distribute the water throughout the area that the tree's canopy covers.

 

[frdnicholas]

Thanks so much for clearing that up. I had a feeling the tree would be fine.

 

[oneeye]

Mulberry trees typically have taproots that can extend 3 to 6 feet deep. For a Mulberry to have a tap root 6 feed deep, the base of the tree would be massive. Your 10 year old tree probably has a lateral root spread that is 10 feet. When you pour water around the base of the tree the lateral root spread gets nothing. You are wasting your time. You don't have to water your tree until late Summer. Not watering will incurage the roots to spread and grow deeper.

Lateral Root Spread for Mulberry Tree
Lateral roots, which branch out from the taproot, can extend 2 to 3 times the width of the canopy, or even 10 to 20 feet beyond the canopy in some cases. AI

 

[Helen Wasserstein]

Hand watering can be beneficial, especially during dry spells. Mulberry trees generally have deep roots, but supplemental watering supports fruit production. In Southeast Coastal Georgia, occasional watering during dry weeks can help, especially if done deeply. Try watering longer, about 5-10 minutes, to encourage deep root growth. Mulch around the base can retain moisture and reduce the need for frequent watering. Overall, your efforts can make a difference during extended periods without rain.