What happens if you don't loosen the rootball of a tree?(from a pot)

[Heruga]

It will be ok. Just don't water it very much. Give the soil a good soaking about once a month or so.

Wait I thought trees that just got planted need to be more watered than usual?

 

[Esther Knapicius]

@Chuck , where she lives its getting hot there. the tree will need daily watering for at least a week. then once a week.

 

[Heruga]

@Chuck , where she lives its getting hot there. the tree will need daily watering for at least a week. then once a week.

Oh ok thats what I thought. And I'm not a girl by the way

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Ok, a young man.

 

[Heruga]

Hehe yup

 

[Beverly]

What a great thread boys and girls! I have learned so much from this conversation Wow, have i made a lot of mistakes

 

[Chuck]

@Chuck , where she lives its getting hot there. the tree will need daily watering for at least a week. then once a week.

Watering of a tree freshly planted should be completely, and I mean completely saturated. This includes ALL of the surrounding soil. Daily watering will only water the top few inches of the New Disturbed Soil.. Once a month watering will encourage root growth, just like withholding water from a tomato plant. You don't want to encourage LOCAL root growth. You want the roots to expand as much as possible and to do this you must encourage the plants roots to grow towards moisture and nutrients. That is why you don't fertilize the soil in the trees planting hole. Put the moisture and nutrients outside of the planted hole. If you keep the hole moist where the tree is planted it will tend to stay in the softened soil. Force the roots to grow outward. Daily watering only adds to the problem of growing an expanding root system. If the soil in the hole stays moist there will be a problem. Daily watering will saturate the soil in the hole and that means either root rot or fungus and it will not moisten up the surrounding natural soil enough to encourage root growth. Do a complete deep watering about once a month out past the drip line of the plant This will greatly encourage the root system to expand, not to stay in the same place.

 

[Heruga]

Watering of a tree freshly planted should be completely, and I mean completely saturated. This includes ALL of the surrounding soil. Daily watering will only water the top few inches of the New Disturbed Soil.. Once a month watering will encourage root growth, just like withholding water from a tomato plant. You don't want to encourage LOCAL root growth. You want the roots to expand as much as possible and to do this you must encourage the plants roots to grow towards moisture and nutrients. That is why you don't fertilize the soil in the trees planting hole. Put the moisture and nutrients outside of the planted hole. If you keep the hole moist where the tree is planted it will tend to stay in the softened soil. Force the roots to grow outward. Daily watering only adds to the problem of growing an expanding root system. If the soil in the hole stays moist there will be a problem. Daily watering will saturate the soil in the hole and that means either root rot or fungus and it will not moisten up the surrounding natural soil enough to encourage root growth. Do a complete deep watering about once a month out past the drip line of the plant This will greatly encourage the root system to expand, not to stay in the same place.

Are you talking about watering once a month for transplant trees or trees that come from a pot? Or does it apply to both?

 

[Chuck]

@Chuck , where she lives its getting hot there. the tree will need daily watering for at least a week. then once a week.

I strongly disagree. When you dig the hole for the tree you fill it up with water and see how long it takes to disappear. This tells you if you have proper drainage or not. This should saturate the surrounding soils. To make sure do it 2 or 3 times. Stick the tree into the hole and backfill with native soils. Once the tree is in the hole, backfilled and tamped down water very slowly until water stands on top of where the hole is/was. Leave it alone until completely dry about 4 inches. Northern New Jersey is a LOT cooler than south Texas so it should take about a month for the soil to dry to the depth of the roots. Then slowly water again until water stands on top of the soil.

 

[Chuck]

Are you talking about watering once a month for transplant trees or trees that come from a pot? Or does it apply to both?

Both

 

[Esther Knapicius]

ok, so your method is to totally gorge the area with water then turn off the hose and see how long. my method is to use a hose and keep it on at a slow drip/run for hours so the tree can can casually suck it in, this for about 6 hours a day for first week, depending on area, sunny, shady, raining. My method is like the ice cube method for hanging plants--put ice cubes in the hanging plants, cubes slowly melt, plants take the water, water does not rush through the soil and miss the plants.

 

[Chuck]

ok, so your method is to totally gorge the area with water then turn off the hose and see how long. my method is to use a hose and keep it on at a slow drip/run for hours so the tree can can casually suck it in, this for about 6 hours a day for first week, depending on area, sunny, shady, raining. My method is like the ice cube method for hanging plants--put ice cubes in the hanging plants, cubes slowly melt, plants take the water, water does not rush through the soil and miss the plants.

I fill up the hole with water 2 or 3 times to make sure that the tree will have adequate drainage. I think it is a smart thing to do before planting the tree. If it doesn't drain properly how do you know it doesn't if the tree is already planted? Also by doing this the surrounding soil is already moist. Then when you plant the tree slowly saturate the tree until you can see water standing and this might take hours. By the time all this is done the tree will not need to be watered for quite some time as the root ball is saturated, the disturbed soil is saturated and the surrounding undisturbed soil is saturated.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

in her case, now, the tree is planted. this is after the fact. and she cut up the roots a lot, so I am thinking of some first aide here also.

 

[Chuck]

in her case, now, the tree is planted. this is after the fact. and she cut up the roots a lot, so I am thinking of some first aide here also.

I agree, but what kind of first aid? The roots are in pieces. All I can think of is to use SuperThrive. I have seen this stuff work miracles

 

[Esther Knapicius]

the dripping water during the day----first aide. Actually, I would sprinkle Epsom salt around it. Still focusing on what she did.