Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

nafex - [NAFEX] Watering orchard trees

nafex@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Sue Christensen <sue@hoodel.com>
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Watering orchard trees
  • Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2007 17:56:15 -0400


I have about 18 trees planted in my small fruit orchard--apple and pear only so far-- and the beginnings of a nut orchard. These trees all went in March 07 and have been hand watered by hose weekly due to the ongoing drought in the Mid-Atlantic. I think we may have had one week where watering wasn't absolutely required.

Our OLD farmhouse has no external spigots, so we have to run a hose up from the cellar on the far side of the house and add enough 100 ft hose extensions to get past the veg garden to the orchard. I think we have 4 extensions with a fifth to reach the nuts. What do you do about watering after leaf fall? Do you? I can imagine the difficulty with trying to schlep a cold inflexible hose out there after temps fall drastically.

I'd be interested in finding out how you keep your established trees watered year round. I don't *think* I see irrigation systems being used in the commercial orchards on the hills around me, but I could be wrong.
Does rain normally take care of most orchards in a normal year or is it nearly always required to supplement the weather by our own efforts?

Sue
Adams County. PA zone 6
Normal rainfall @ 42-44". 2007 rain to date-22"




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page