Question
I have a 2 year-old Stella cherry tree and a 3 year-old Santa Rosa plum tree. I just installed drip watering, had been just soaking with a hose, pretty irregularly. Surprised they have survived me. How many gallons per soaking (and how often) should I be giving them in each of the four seasons here in Novato?
David
Novato
Answer
Trees are remarkably forgiving things. Your trees will not need irrigation in winter once the rains start and will not need to be irrigated until the weather warms up. The first irrigation in spring is about 2 weeks after the last rain once the tree has blossomed and "woken up". At this point, the 2 year old will need about 2 gallons/day and the 3 year old will need 4 gallons per day. Once mature, the plum will need 6-12 gallons/day depending on the time of year and the cherry will want 20-45 gallons per day! The higher gallonage reflect its needs in the hot summer months, the smaller is for spring and fall. Because our soil is so very clayey in Novato, it will hold more moisture for a longer period of time. If you were to irrigate everyday, there is a chance you could over water. I would recommend you water with drip every 3rd day. For instance on the 2 year old, if you use 2, 1 gal emitters and water for 1 1/2 hours, the tree gets 3 gallons every 3rd day. If the trees seem to wilt or "loose their shine", you can water more often (for less time) or use more emitters per tree.
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