GARDEN CITY, Idaho — As the summer season brings the heat, make sure that the trees in your yard are staying just as hydrated as yourself.
- Susan Bell is a horticulturist for the University of Idaho. She says that many people water their lawn they're not thinking about where their tree roots are.
- Since roots are usually spread across the yard, watering for trees needs to be ten to twelve inches down into the ground.
- Never water everyday, once, twice or even three times one day is fine, then, once the roots are watered you can let the tree rest.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
It's officially summer and these are the most important months to stay hydrated. I'm your neighborhood reporter Jessica Davis and all living things need one vital source to live - water - and that includes your lawn and the trees that are in it.
“Oftentimes people will water the lawn and they're not thinking about where the tree roots are, and tree roots can be in the top two foot of soil," said Susan Bell.
Bell is a plant expert, formally she's a horticulturist for the University of Idaho, and she says watering for trees needs to be ten to twelve inches down into the ground.
“We're not talking little tiny amounts of watering or small amounts over a small time frame of watering," Bell said. "We're talking watering for a long period of time and then leaving the ground alone to let it soak in."
The roots of trees spread across the yard, not just near the trunk, so once the roots are watered you can let the tree rest.
"So, we never water every day," Bell said. "We try to have days where we have no water going on in these trees so that oxygen can get back into the soil."
Sprinklers and a water hose are perfect ways to keep your trees hydrated. You can use a shovel or soil probe to check the moisture of the dirt.
Bell says, “You want to make sure that you're watering the trees. The grass is easy to grow, you can have grass in six days from seed, but with the tree they take years and years.”
It's important to note that the type and age of your tree will determine how much and how often you should water because trees younger than five years old are the ones most at risk during a hot summer.
