New dogwood planted - Ask Extension
Hi I just recently planted a dogwood about 2 weeks ago, 1 side is blooming and the other side has some buds bud appears to be drying out, how much wat...
Knowledgebase
New dogwood planted #865466
Asked April 22, 2024, 3:32 PM EDT
Hi I just recently planted a dogwood about 2 weeks ago, 1 side is blooming and the other side has some buds bud appears to be drying out, how much water should I be giving it?
Anne Arundel County Maryland
Expert Response
When monitoring trees and shrubs for water, it's best to feel the soil about five or six inches deep, watering only when it's becoming somewhat dry to the touch at that depth. If half of the tree is wilting or crisping while the other half looks normal, that suggests the problem isn't with uneven watering as much as it could be damage to the trunk, roots, or an infection that was already present before the tree was sold. (To be fair to the nursery, these are not always detectable before a tree breaks dormancy in spring.)
You can share a photo of the overall tree and a close-up of its symptoms if you'd like, but in that situation, nothing can be done to cure the problem and the tree might need to be replaced. (We can tell more with images.)
As for how much water to apply, that depends on factors like soil type and drainage, root ball size, etc. Watering should be thorough when it's needed (that is, not applied as light, more-frequent waterings), and enough water applied so that the depth that was monitored is rehydrated when checked a bit later as the watering seeps down through the soil layers. (Several hours later, or the following day, should suffice as a time to check.) As a very rough guideline, when a tree planted from a 7 gallon pot (a typical nursery stock size for dogwoods) needs irrigation, you'd probably need to give it about a couple gallons of water.
Ideally, the root ball should have been loosened well upon planting (or if the tree came balled and burlapped, then the burlap and all ties/wire removed) so that the roots don't have interference establishing themselves into the soil, which can help or hinder their access to moisture. The soil within a root ball can also impact how quickly or slowly the roots dry out; the very fast-draining mix used in container-grown trees will not retain moisture to the same degree as the soil in the yard. If the two soil types (inside the pot and what is in the yard) aren't blended a bit when planting in that situation, it will be harder to get the watering frequency right since it will be easy to under-water the roots while potentially over-watering the soil immediately next to the roots.
Miri
You can share a photo of the overall tree and a close-up of its symptoms if you'd like, but in that situation, nothing can be done to cure the problem and the tree might need to be replaced. (We can tell more with images.)
As for how much water to apply, that depends on factors like soil type and drainage, root ball size, etc. Watering should be thorough when it's needed (that is, not applied as light, more-frequent waterings), and enough water applied so that the depth that was monitored is rehydrated when checked a bit later as the watering seeps down through the soil layers. (Several hours later, or the following day, should suffice as a time to check.) As a very rough guideline, when a tree planted from a 7 gallon pot (a typical nursery stock size for dogwoods) needs irrigation, you'd probably need to give it about a couple gallons of water.
Ideally, the root ball should have been loosened well upon planting (or if the tree came balled and burlapped, then the burlap and all ties/wire removed) so that the roots don't have interference establishing themselves into the soil, which can help or hinder their access to moisture. The soil within a root ball can also impact how quickly or slowly the roots dry out; the very fast-draining mix used in container-grown trees will not retain moisture to the same degree as the soil in the yard. If the two soil types (inside the pot and what is in the yard) aren't blended a bit when planting in that situation, it will be harder to get the watering frequency right since it will be easy to under-water the roots while potentially over-watering the soil immediately next to the roots.
Miri
