Tree Watering

Help Your Trees Weather the Weather

View SDRUFC’s Press Release in response to new and potential drought restrictions.  It is OK to still water your trees!

Trees require surprisingly little water during and after establishment, and provide many benefits.

  • Trees provide shade, save energy, increase property values, improve air quality, reduce stormwater runoff, mitigate climate change, create wildlife habitat, and make our city more walkable and livable.  More benefits
  • Watering a tree costs about $20 a year, for all these benefits!

Trees need deep infrequent watering

  • Newly planted trees should be watered with up to 5 gallons of water once a week for the first 3 years.
  • Small, established, low water trees need only about 20 gallons a month – the amount most people use in one shower!
  • Large and mature, low water trees need approximately 200 gallons per month 
  • Pay attention to the soil moisture under your tree and adjust amounts accordingly.
  • A soaker hose, drip system, or even a simple garden hose set to a very slow trickle are all effective ways to water your tree.

Urban trees have been dying due to the extended drought.

  • Warm summer months stress trees along streets, in yards, parks, and forests.
  • California’s extended drought stressed trees even further – and their recovery is ongoing.
  • Some property owners stopped watering their lawns, slowly killing the trees.
  • Some businesses and government agencies turned off irrigation systems, so they got credit for “gallons saved” but killed trees in public places.

Watering trees is a Good Thing!

  • Read this new blog,  Why water trees in this drought?
  • Trees need deep watering. Irrigating only 5 minutes twice a week does not reach the tree roots.
  • Trees are expensive to replant, water, and maintain, and they take many years to mature.
  • Removing a dead tree requires professional help, which can cost $1000 or more.
  • Trees shade other landscaping and reduce their water needs.
  • Even the strictest drought restrictions allow for watering trees on residential and commercial properties, and landscape vegetation in parks, schools, and other public places. 

I want to Plant a Tree!

Check out the following sites to find water wise trees for our area

How much water do trees need? And how do I water my tree(s)?