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It got an odd look from my neighbour a few days ago when I dragged six garden hoses from the shed.
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Odd because by the end of November, the hoses are normally put away.
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I connected the six hoses together to stretch 90 metres, just barely long enough to reach the far end of the meadow, or what I call the back forty.
Each of my 38 trees got at least five minutes of water, about 10 minutes for the evergreens.
We have had a dry fall. Spring and summer were wet enough, but since early September, we have had far less rain than usual.
The 20 trees I planted four years ago will be fine, but the rest, planted last year, will need a good drink before winter.
Trees take up water and nutrients throughout the year in preparation for winter, when they are unable to do so. Mature and established trees will manage just fine, but newly planted trees need about a year to recover from transplanting.
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Water requirements for evergreens are greater than for deciduous trees, because winter wind and sun can pull moisture out of the needles, a process called desiccation. Trees planted in heavier clay soil will fare better than those in quick-draining sandy soil.
What prompted me to water my backyard trees was when I dug out about 1.5 cubic metres (two cubic yards) of poor soil to replace it with triple mix, in preparation for a better-performing perennial garden next year.
The soil I removed was parched, almost dusty, even under a layer of shredded mulch.
The other way to protect evergreens from winter desiccation is by wrapping them. Use burlap or other breathable material to build a tent around the plant.
I recommend pounding two or three wooden stakes in the ground and stapling the burlap to them. Don’t cover the top of the tent and don’t use plastic wrap for fear of suffocation.
Burlap protection also may be helpful for broadleaved evergreens, like rhododendrons, that run the risk of winter sun and wind damage.
To help retain moisture in the soil, I recommend putting down a layer of shredded wood mulch over the tree’s root zone.
In addition to keeping the soil moist, mulch will insulate the soil, enabling roots to take up water a few weeks longer before deep freeze.
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