You can use a screwdriver to determine if it's time to water; simply try to push it into the ground. If the ground is dry, you won't be able to. If the ground is wet, you will. If you can't get your screwdriver to easily go at least 6 to 8 inches into the ground, it's time to water.
Leaves that are crispy and crunchy (like you might find in autumn) tend to be on trees that haven't been watered enough. You can break off the crispy parts of the leaves if you make this mistake. If you are overwatering your trees, the leaves may be a bit gummy or wilted, though they will still be brown.
If you think your lawn's soil may be compacted, you can perform a simple screwdriver test: Push a screwdriver into the soil in your lawn. If you are unable to push the screwdriver up to six inches deep into the soil without difficulty (up to the handle) your soil is compacted.
When a tree is established, many roots will have grown a distance equal to approximately 3 times the distance from the trunk to the branch tips (Gilman 1988; Watson and Himelick 1982). During the establishment period, shoots and trunk grow slower than they did before transplanting.
The Quick and Easy Test
Instructions: Take the long screwdriver and insert it into the soil below your tree, closer to the canopy line. If the soil is too hard to get the screwdriver deep into the ground, it means the soil is not moist and it does, in fact, need more water.
Recommended Soil Moisture Levels
It is important to note that the majority of flowers, trees, and shrubs require moisture levels between 21% - 40%, while all vegetables require soil moisture between 41% and 80%.
If you have a hose that can reach the newly planted tree turn it on at a slow trickle and place the end of the hose in the area of the roots, pretty close to the trunk in young trees. Set a timer for about 30 minutes depending on the flow. You could also use a soaker hose placed in a circle around the base of the tree.
A newly planted tree may take 1-2 years to become established. Larger container stock trees may take longer to become established than smaller stock. Established trees: Don't irrigate the area directly adjacent to the trunk - this can increase the risk of disease.
Bare root trees can't sit around for too long, waiting to be planted. You can keep them in a cool, shady spot for up to a week. But you've gotta make sure their roots stay moist.
In order to test the live wire, the user's body must be in contact with the metal cap on the top of the screwdriver when the tester is put in contact with the wire. This completes a genuine electrical circuit and the bulb will light up once the tester senses voltage.
It may take waterlogged or flooded trees a few seasons to recover, depending on how long they were deprived of oxygen. Keep an eye on your trees and look for any continuing signs of distress. Many symptoms may not pop up until months later, especially if we have a prolonged hot, dry period.
Trees can sometimes lose all their leaves to drought and recover; sometimes not. If a tree is severely stressed and drops all of its leaves, it may be unable to produce enough photosynthates to properly harden off and survive the up-coming winter. My advice, especially at this time of year, is to wait and see.
Trees do better with less frequent but deeper soakings — a heavy soaking once a week is much better than a shallow watering every few days. That's because shallow waterings encourage tree roots to remain near the soil surface where they're prone to drying out.
The Garden: The First Year, Plants Sleep, Second Year, They Creep & Third Year, They Leap! A popular adage in the gardening world but I think it is a worthwhile reminder for all homeowners.
For mature trees (>25 years), or those with a trunk more than 12″ (30 cm) in diameter, water deep and occasionally. About 10 gallons per 1 inch (2.5 cm) of trunk diameter per week (ex., a tree with 12″ DBH would receive 120 gallons) during drought.
The majority of tree growth occurs in late spring and early summer. During most of the growing season, trees (plants) produce a material called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll enables plants to convert water and carbon dioxide in the presence of sunlight into carbohydrates, which plants use for food.
During a summer afternoon, up to half of the water can be lost to evaporation. The best time to water is in the morning or evening, so the roots have a chance to absorb most of the water.
The best time to water plants is in the morning or evening.
Morning watering is actually preferable to evening watering as the plant has time to dry before the sun goes down. At night, water tends to rest in the soil, around the roots, and on the foliage, which encourages rot, fungal growth, and insects.
You should be watering new trees at least once a week in hot summer weather and every three or four days during prolonged drought periods. For newly planted trees, soak the root ball directly under the tree and about a metre around the root ball to encourage root growth.
Tree soil should have a minimum depth of 3 feet (1 m). The soil can be composed of topsoil and subsoil layers. When installing the soil it should be installed in lifts or layers of < 12 inches (30 cm).
To dry out soil quickly, you can apply hydrated lime to the soil, add compost and then turn the soil thoroughly to aerate it. Adding hydrated lime and compost will help absorb the water in your soil, and turning it all will help distribute the water in the waterlogged soil throughout your garden.