Today we will talk about the need and features of the autumn water-charging watering of trees. If you, like me, grow fruit trees on your site, this article is for you.
Fall watering purpose
It is customary to think that the need for watering disappears with the end of the summer season. However, this is not at all the case. Autumn watering is very important for fruit trees, it allows them to saturate them with life-giving moisture, which quickly evaporates from the surface of the crown. Trees experiencing a moisture deficit in the fall will not be able to survive the winter safely. Therefore, it is so important to carry out autumn watering before the arrival of negative temperatures.
Autumn watering has another important property - the moist soil conducts heat well, thereby protecting the root system in frosty winters.
How to determine the need for autumn watering
If it's a rainy autumn, the trees can only have enough moisture if the summer season was not dry. Otherwise, autumn watering is indispensable.
There is another method for determining the need for watering, which I have successfully used. To do this, it is necessary to determine the degree of soil moisture. This is done as follows: a hole is dug between neighboring trees about 0.5 m deep, from where a little earth is taken. If, squeezing it in the palm of your hand, it turns out to form a dense lump - the level of moisture is sufficient. If the soil does not crumple, but simply crumbles in the hand, watering is necessary.
Features of autumn watering
In order to properly prepare fruit trees for winter, autumn watering must be carried out according to the following rules:
- You need to water abundantly, moisture should saturate the ground to a depth of at least a meter.
- There should be a lot of water. It takes up to 40 liters of water for young trees, and about 70 liters for adults. However, when watering, you need to focus on the characteristics of the soil in your area.
- Watering is recommended in clear sunny weather.
- It is worth starting water-charging irrigation after the end of the leaf fall. Personally, I do this procedure most often in October. Here again, it is important to focus on the climatic features of the region, because the air temperature for such irrigation should be within three degrees with a plus sign.
Methods for autumn water-charging irrigation
There are many ways of watering. It is worth focusing on personal preference and convenience. The most common options are:
- Traditional watering with buckets or hose. Personally, I prefer this method, because it is easy to calculate the volume of water brought under each tree with buckets. If the garden is too large, or you don't want to carry buckets, you can use the garden hose, which is located under the tree, for watering. In this case, the most convenient way is to organize irrigation grooves.
- Sprinkler irrigation is the best option for areas with a slope. This method provides a more even distribution of moisture. The only drawback of sprinkling is excessive humidification of the air around the crops. Sometimes this can provoke certain diseases.
- Drip irrigation method. This method is considered the most rational and can be organized in different ways - from professional systems to homemade construction. This approach requires a minimum of effort and time, but has the difficulty of calculating the amount of water consumed per crop.
The autumn watering performed in accordance with all the rules will help to safely prepare the garden for wintering and ensure the healthy growth and development of fruit crops in the next season.
Read also: All do not care! How to deal with blackening and curling of pear leaves?
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