Watering Fruit Trees

Tom and Phil discuss irrigation for the backyard fruit tree grower. How much water does a fruit tree need? How to use a moisture meter. The importance of mulch.

[@TheBusyGardener]

Great vid, guys! Like a bunch of people on here, we're thirsty for your DWN vids. Keep 'em coming Tom & Phil!

[@stanmack6171]

Soon as Tom said moisture meter, I instantly ordered one!🤩

[@Mrbfgray]

Reminded me to dig mine out and use them again! :D

[@stanmack6171]

2:57 Use it and you will become the master of irrigation!

[@tbluemel]

Thank you, Tom! Always great info, Guru.

[@LacyO86]

Headed to order one too ...

[@jennhoff03]

Me, too! They should set up affiliate links.

[@FosterFarmsOk]

I could watch Tom talk about anything and be happy.

[@lindaharris8917]

So happy to see you back! I truly like your information. Thank you!

[@mikenetherlin1209]

Tom, always great to here your advice.

[@munciewaterloo7330]

Yes! Another Dave Wilson video with Tom! Keep ‘em coming, guys! I love these videos.

[@Quest4Unknown]

These guys know their irrigation and needs of the tree. Good stuff. A smart timer for irrigation is awesome to know!

[@dansaldana3450]

Thanks DWN your info will definitely help me on my new home I’m watching all your videos

[@sonnyv6888]

Finally got one of your trees, 3in1 Plout Tree. I cant wait the 3-5yrs to enjoy the fruit. Love your videos, love your product. The tree came in amazing shape. Thanks to RainTree Nursery. Your garden series open my eyes to a plout and and I cant wait to taste one.

[@farmerbob4554]

Tom gave a talk in Diamond Bar last month. Excellent tutorial from an incredibly knowledgeable person.

[@LacyO86]

Excellent video. So many questions answered, thank you!!

[@cwcobo]

Thanks for the update guys. My Dave Wilson Nursery fruit trees are doing wonderfully here in north Santa Clara County, CA. I've also got lots of mulch down and have been checking (digging small holes) but haven't had to water this season yet.

[@HeavensGatesCherryFarm]

Thanks guys, we are growing cherries under High tunnels here in Michigan and any bit of info is great, loved the video!!!!

[@ucdcrush]

Nectaplum is my favorite fruit too. Incredible taste, and a really attractive tree as well.

[@frescali3030]

I tore out all the useless trees from my backyard and replaced all 7 with your trees they keep shade and produce good fruit 👍👍 best decision I ever made I get mad when I go to friends and family’s homes and they don’t have not even one fruit tree and they been living in the home for 20 plus Year’s makes no sense to me to not even have one fruit tree 🤦‍♂️

[@DaveWilsonTrees]

I fully agree. I have fruit trees in my front side yard. Requires much less water than my lawn, and they produce food. Best food I eat all year in fact.

[@UnseenSpirit]

Fruit trees are good but don't get mad that some people don't have any. It's their choice at the end of the day lol

[@amolc8263]

Trees are never useless but human

[@alisonburgess345]

Hear hear on the moisture meter. They're fantastic. Great video!

[@MrDrTray]

Thank you for another great vid! I appreciate the consistency over the years and enjoy fallowing the progress of them demo orchard. I would love to see the type of irrigation you guys use and how you do your feedings.

[@davidkehr4730]

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[@danowen9142]

There is SO MUCH INFO packed into this video that we've been saying for years and years. THX GUYS!

[@Nicopasta85]

You da man Tom! Greetings from your neighbor Nick!

[@jeff6899]

I adjust my irrigation timers at least twice a month, if not more...not only duration, but intervals and how early in the day (eg, very early AM in our hot summer heat so water is cooler and can soak in...but yet the very incremental top layer of soil can still slightly dry out from heavy water session by end of the day)...but you are correct---most people never do that. Great advice & video !

[@aliaub75]

Those flowers on the shirt look really well watered.

[@jeff6899]

Delicious ! :) will look for that moisture meter ;) Love my Spice Zee Nectaplum...lost my 1st one after 8-9 yrs here in the interior, low Metro Phx desert...not a huge producer here & still gets some of the nectarine thrips but love the tree...my 2nd newer one has some fruit set...we'll see how it tastes.

[@wudangmtn]

Good advice. Thanks.

[@veganchiefwarrior6444]

good point, some say water gallons every day, some say those moisture meters dont work properly, but having the right amount of water sounds more like it, i will start using my meter again

[@simonbennett3834]

Thank you as usual

[@dagobaker]

Welcome back

[@Desert2GardenLV]

Living in the Las Vegas desert I find my watering situation to be different but thanks for all the info.

[@colorcodetrader4032]

Hi Chris. I'm interested to know of the differences you mentioned. Can you share?

[@caseG80]

Cover crops or companion plants can help indicate when water is needed they will look bad before the trees will. Like Tom said make sure to water deeply when watering it’s possible to test with moisture meter and soil be dry deeper than meter goes

[@caseG80]

Watering before a cold spell or frost danger can save trees.

[@jennhoff03]

I just paused the video and ordered that moisture meter! Y'all should set up affiliate links and put them in the description so you get a cutback on people doing that.

[@Pasquali369]

Thanks for the advice. =o)

[@TruckTaxiMoveIt]

As you mentioned in the video you want to get moisture data from various locations around the tree one of the most important locations that you want to get the data for is at your root system not just on top but deep down; the probe for your moisture meter is very limited I believe you need a longer probe so that you can know what the moisture is at the actual root system as opposed to the soil at the top of the root system you may have a well saturated topsoil that doesn't need any more water but you're lower level soil might need some water a longer probe might help in this regard

[@DaveWilsonTrees]

Good comment, the meter I usually use has a 12" probe. The one used in the video was purchased at the last minute to be used in the video and was the only type available at the time. I have a dozen or so meters I have been gifted over the years. Most have a probe length between 8" and 12". That being said, most domestic plants and trees do take up a large percentage of their water in the first few inches of soil. Enjoy your trees.

[@timmytrimble4069]

Organic mulch uses nitrogen to break itself down. It takes nitrogen from the air and soil to do this. Therefore depleting the surrounding soil of nitrogen.

[@tinyjungle_]

Can those meters be reliable in sandy soil

[@jtammyjas]

late adjustments as the weather heats up combined with over watering afterwards so often leads to split fruit since you end up with sunburned skin on the fruit that can't expand as fast as the increased water builds within. I've ruined apple crops this way.

[@Juan.Melendez]

I ordered my moisture meter after you guys said it's the next step. Is there a specific mulch you use? I live in Oregon and it rains a lot. A few people use cedar.

[@zacharydavis2284]

Hey there, also in Oregon. Sign up for tree company mulch. You want something with nitrogen and carbon so it composts in place without robbing anything from the soil. Composted yard debris from a landscape supply is a decent replacement but doesn't last as long since its already mostly composted. Good luck!

[@destinysistrunk6225]

I have 40 fruit trees in my back yard I'd like to put a drip system on. I'll need to run about 250ft of blank line to reach them all. My question is, how many 1 gph drips can I run at one time? I have about 65lbs of pressure on my faucet. Any help would be appreciated.

[@DaveWilsonTrees]

You would need to know what diameter of hose is being used. Figure out the volume of 6 ft of that hose and that volume is how much water per second that system can supply X 60 sec per min x 60 min per hour and that will give you gallons per hour.

[@Thisisit120]

Is the mulch supposed to be up around the tree trunk or should it be back a few inches? Also should you have the mulch mound up on the drip line and then sink back down towards the truck? Kinda like a moat. I would really like to know before I plant my trees thank you all for your great video.

[@DaveWilsonTrees]

Most say it's best to keep the mulch pulled back about 12" from the trunk. I don't think the moat concept makes any difference as mulch is porous and the water will go right through it. If you want to create a well it's best done with soil.

[@Thisisit120]

Thank you

[@jeffkammerzell1264]

Enjoyed the video. Looking for a little help.... Planted one of your this multi-graft plueots last spring according to recommendations. Tree is in grass getting 6 gph 3x's per week in the Phoenix area during heat of summer. Pulled back the spiral guard & found these two nodules on the trunk. What are they & should I be concerned?

[@DaveWilsonTrees]

Hard to say without seeing. Could be from too frequent watering. That and covering the trunk for too long. You want to be watering more like every 7 to 10 days. A thick layer of mulch can help extend that time even more.

[@jeffkammerzell1264]

Tried uploading a pic, format does not allow. Looks like amber nodule. 2 of them about grape sized. Do have about 3” of mulch over the tree mound

[@DaveWilsonTrees]

You can message us on Facebook and send a photo.

[@rahuljholta1415]

I have an apple orchard in sunny area ....is it possible to spray only water during dry period insted of watering in soil??... Will it work??

[@DaveWilsonTrees]

Sorry, I don't understand your question.

[@ashotmm]

Measuring soil moisture would have been good advice... If one could find a reliable soil moisture meter. I looked up the model used in this video and the reviews on Amazon are quite bad. Then I tried to find a better soil moisture meter. It turns out that simply measuring the current between two electrodes is a really unreliable method to evaluate moisture in the soil precisely. So, advice in this video is, unfortunately, impractical.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

I can think of a reason not to mulch - buying* a truckload of mulch every year and having to spread it out. What do you all think of using some sort of groundcover/cover crop around the fruit trees instead? *yeah I know... lots of people get wood mulch for free. But that's just not available here and it's still a lot of work.

[@DaveWilsonTrees]

Ground cover is always an option and will help to keep summer time soil temps cooler. It will help with weed suppression. However, it does nothing to help with bio activity, it requires considerably more water and fertilizer. It competes aggressively with root development and function. So along those lines it’s totally counterproductive

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

@@DaveWilsonTrees Luckily my watering requirements are almost nil during most of the warm seasons. I certainly don't think it's true that legume cover crops in particular "do nothing to help with bio activity." That's the whole point of planting them in a lot of cases - to get the microbes going. I wouldn't expect them to leave a lot of nitrogen in this scenario. Just keep living roots in the ground and cover the soil.

[@sampsuns]

You haven’t water your fruit tree from nov to April? They must be under stress. I also live in cal and with thick mulch. But I noticed my avocado tree became super dry leaf and stem if I haven’t water them till march

[@tomhancock541]

where do you get a moister meter?

[@vh2337]

Amazon

[@DrODWest]

I understand your info on bigger trees but how much and when should you water young month old 3 ft trees in spring and summer.

[@DaveWilsonTrees]

When and how much water depends on many factors. Young trees need less water obviously, but likely more frequently. After you irrigate, keep an eye on how long it takes for the topsoil to dry. You can easily over-water a fruit tree, and good soil drainage in your plating location is very important.

[@endtimesareuponus8930]

@@DaveWilsonTrees should my young neely planted trees be watered daily, weekly or what? I live in eastern Europe now and haven't seen a moisture meter. Is watering daily bad?

[@DaveWilsonTrees]

@@endtimesareuponus8930 newly planted fruit trees probably don’t need daily water, but maybe once or twice a week. Never water if the topsoil is still wet from previous irrigation. After a few weeks you can extent the time between watering. In California, during the hottest time of year we only water established fruit trees every 10 to 14 days. Mulch can extend that time. Always check soil moisture and never water until topsoil is dry.

[@DaveWilsonTrees]

@@endtimesareuponus8930 how often you water depends on a few factors, like drainage. If you have poor drainage, you’ll have problems unless you plant on a mound or elevated bed. The symptoms of overwatering and under watering are very similar. So if your tree looks to be suffering, always check soil moisture before assuming it needs water.

[@faithruacho158]

Tom where do I order a water meter,

[@DaveWilsonTrees]

Faith Ruacho you can find one at any retail nursery, or they are available online from amazon.

[@IDVDalot]

good video

[@brendangonano]

Do you use drip? Micro sprayers or hand water the orchid? Thanks:)

[@DaveWilsonTrees]

We use micro sprinklers.

[@brendangonano]

@@DaveWilsonTrees appreciate your response:)

[@fpsfreak4079]

@@DaveWilsonTrees what is the name of the sprinkler brand or model #?

[@tracygrove3484]

Question for you. You mentioned "Re-Mulching". Do you remove the existing Mulch completely or just add a new layer on top?

[@TheBusyGardener]

He's talking about adding additional mulch on top. As the mulch beneath breaks down, you're adding material on top to keep a nice layer going.

[@overthe8055]

New layer on top

[@cochambre62]

The Busy Gardener Hi! Glad to find you here. I have 12 inches of mulch on top of my orchard, my question is how does the moisture meter get the reading of the soil under all those wood chips? The wood chips may be moist but maybe the soil isn’t. Thank you

[@TheBusyGardener]

@@cochambre62 Hi Luisa! With 12 inches, you've got a serious mulch layer going on! In this case, I'd move aside a few top inches of mulch and measure from there. It's not going to be less dry beneath the mulch than on top of it. If you're measuring moisture under the first few inches, you'll definitely have moisture beneath it.

[@cochambre62]

The Busy Gardener ok I’ll check. Thank you

[@DKuzzin]

I planted Peach trees (2) up here in NW Indiana, Zone 5. This was three years ago. I have not seen one flower or flower bud on either one. They appear healthy. I've pruned them into a nice bowl shape. I've pretty much done everything that you do with fertilizer and watering. QUESTION is... Why no flowers yet?? Does it take years to have fruit to come in? I bought these at a big box store and estimate their age at around 5-6 years. HELP...

[@DaveWilsonTrees]

They break dormancy without blooming? How often do they get water usually?

[@DaveWilsonTrees]

Could be that your varieties and/or rootstocks are not adaptable to zone 5, or your soil type.

[@DKuzzin]

I thought about that, but don't the BB stores "normally" sell plants for the specific zone they are located in? I have clay soil, but I dug a huge hole and put in amended soil...Top soil/Peat/Manure

[@DKuzzin]

I checked on them in early Spring. I had a great amount of leaf buds, but no flower buds. So far this year I have not watered them once. We have had a VERY WET Spring. What do you think about maybe adding bone meal?

[@DaveWilsonTrees]

Actually, box retailers are constantly selling the wrong varieties and never pay attention to rootstocks. Buying from them is a big gamble, you better know what you need and be sure not to settle for anything less.

[@frescali3030]

I feel your retailers should go door to door selling fruit trees right from a trailer as they go door to door who would say no when it’s right in front of them at their home

[@DaveWilsonTrees]

Years ago 'retailers' went from town to town in a wagon selling produce. Not much different I guess..

[@allenhull9282]

How about the runoff in the road behind the guy in the Hawaiian shirt

[@DaveWilsonTrees]

That’s from a budwood orchard across the street. All our budwood orchards are on hilly ground, so there is some runoff.

[@antoniorivas5960]

De-lish-ious