North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Mauch1@aol.com]

<<
I have a question for which a concrete answer will be impossible, but I 
am hoping to get a vague answer gleaned from the collective NAFEX 
wisdom.  I am planting some apple trees into a field with heavy clay 
soil, and I am wondering how much irrigation will be involved.  The 
trees  are mostly on M9, with some Bud9 and some G16 rootstocks.  As a 
general rule, how much watering do they need?
>>

Jason, 
   You didn't say where you lived, so I'll give you my experience in SE PA.  
I also have rather heavy clay soil.  There is a rather high water table (say 
10 ft? down).  I have a two acre property that is ~200X400 and the apples are 
at the far end of the property.  I mulch my trees in Spring.  
When I plant a tree, I water it well.  I only then water (with 5 gal buckets) 
trees that were planted that year and then only if there has been a long 
period between rains.

During the worst drought (2002) I've ever seen, my soil did not really start 
to dry out until towards end of the drought.

So basically I do not irrigate established trees.  I've only started to use 
M9.  Most of my trees are on M26, Bud 9, and Ottawa 2.  Of those 3 Bud 9 is 
my favorite (Ottawa 2 is nice, but transplanting can kill the tree)

It looks like you're already doing this, but stay away from M26 (or any other 
crown rot succeptible cultivar).  On clay it is too vulnerable (to crown rot).

-- 
Chris Mauchline
SE PA, zone 6
40° 5' N    75° 51'W
~650 ft elevation