• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
RTEC Treecare

RTEC Treecare

Expert Tree Care in the DC Metro Area | Call 703-573-3029 to talk to a Tree Care Expert.

  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Serve
      • Government
      • Commercial Environmental Services
      • Residential
    • Our Story
    • Our Team
    • Our Core Values
    • Testimonials
  • Plant Health Care
  • Tree Maintenance
  • Careers
    • We Are an Equal Opportunity Employer
    • We Welcome Veterans and Military Service Members
    • RTEC Benefits
    • RTEC Is Now Hiring
  • Blog
  • 703-573-3029
  • Contact Us

Watering Your Trees: How Much Is Too Much?

Resources: Tree Maintenance

Little gardenerHow Much And How Often Is Enough?

According to recent data, cities in the Metro DC/Northern Virginia area average anywhere from 3 to 4 inches of precipitation during the wet summer months. In the summer months with temperatures surpassing 90 degrees with a high amount of humidity, it can be hard to determine how much water your tree needs in addition to what nature is providing. Trees receiving inadequate amounts of water will exhibit wilting, leaf scorch, and dropping of leafs and branches.

As a general rule of thumb, the bigger the tree, the more water it will need, with the average amount equal to 10 gallons per inch of diameter of the tree. You can determine approximately how much water your tree will need by multiplying the tree’s diameter (measured at knee height) and multiplying it by 5 minutes, which is about how long it takes to produce ten gallons of water from a hose at medium pressure. For example, a tree with a diameter of 5″ will need 50 gallons of water per watering, which would take about 25 minutes to produce.

 

WATERING TIPS FOR SUMMER:
    • Focus on the critical root zone when watering. Wetting foliage is a waste of water and can promote the spread of diseases.
    • DON’T use a sprinkler. This only wets the top layer of soil and doesn’t properly water the tree.
    • Water in the morning to avoid evaporation and to help trees deal with the heat throughout the day.
    • Water deeply and thoroughly 1 to 2 times a week.
      • Put your normal hose somewhere in the critical root zone.
      • Turn hose on to a dribble
      • Leave for 2-3 hours
      • Move the hose to a different spot in the critical root zone and leave for 2-3 hours. Repeat this step 1-3 times.
    • You want the soil to be moist but not soaking. You should NOT be able to make a mud ball out of the soil.
    • It’s okay for some portions of the soil to be wet and some to be dry.

Other Watering Tips:

  1. If your children have a plastic pool, dump the water around the base of your tree to conserve water.
  2. The best time to water is during the early morning or evening hours. Although not harmful, during the day when the sun is the brightest, the heat can cause evaporation, and not allow the tree to completely absorb the water, making watering inefficient.
  3. As a general rule, it is better to water deeply rather than more frequently in order to better penetrate the tree’s root system. This is particularly important with younger trees, as a shallow watering will encourage the roots to grow closer to the surface, which can cause other health problems for the tree.
  4. Avoid watering the trunk of the tree. Excess and frequent watering of a tree’s trunk can cause rotting.
  5. Do not over water your trees as this can cause just as much damage as too little water. After a good watering, the soil should be moist, not water-logged.

If you have a Canopy Protection Program you can relax knowing our plant health care technicians will notify you if your tree is being over or under watered.

Primary Sidebar

Find a Certified Arborist in Your Area!

Google Reviews

Grey Burkhart
Grey Burkhart
March 29, 2022.
Verified
Very professional review of our requirements and an accurate estimate. Showed up on time and were finished quickly. Cleaned up all of the debris and sawdust. Great job all around.
Dennis Bruns
Dennis Bruns
March 8, 2022.
Verified
We have used RTEC Treecare for several years. They do excellent work. Their staff is extremely knowledgeable and take great care in explaining the various options available for your particular situation. I highly recommend them.
Annette Iannucci
Annette Iannucci
February 23, 2022.
Verified
We have been using RTEC for years and were very pleased with the recent tree maintenance work they did for us. As always, we got good advice from their arborist Ben,. The crew that did the work is highly skilled, and they did a great job trimming our trees. They worked safely and efficiently, in addition to leaving the yard clean after they finished the work.
Susan Crawford
Susan Crawford
January 26, 2022.
Verified
RTEC was at my house today to removed a large Magnolia that was badly damaged by the recent snow. They did a fantastic job at a very reasonable price. They arrived right on time, worked efficiently and quickly and cleaned up so well it was hard to tell anything have been disturbed. Over the past several years, I have used RTEC for all the services I checked above, and have always been very pleased with their service and professionalism. I also appreciate that they are not eager to take down trees that don't need to come down. In this case, the damage was too extensive for the tree to recover.
Kenton Morgan
Kenton Morgan
January 20, 2022.
Verified
Once again, RTEC has done a great job. The team showed up right on time and performed all the work that we agreed to. They kept us informed as to progress, coordinated with us concerning our maple, and made recommendations concerning ongoing support for our trees. At the end of the day, they thoroughly cleaned up the debris and left our yard in pristine condition. WELL DONE.
Jean Kluttz
Jean Kluttz
January 3, 2022.
Verified
Not our first time but this time was tricky removal of a large dead tree leaning on a healthy tree. Quick response for estimate, good timing to removal, all clear and healthy tree still fine.
Jerry Haggin
Jerry Haggin
December 16, 2021.
Verified
Very good work while ensuring that I was aware of status of my work order and planned completion.
Mike Iger
Mike Iger
December 16, 2021.
Verified
David Roberts
David Roberts
December 15, 2021.
Verified
We’ve used RTEC for many years for tree maintenance and can’t say enough good things about their service. We use them for tree trimming and for regular treatments to maintain our trees’ health and deal with pests and prevent disease. Their arborist Ben has been especially helpful with advice. RTEC also been especially helpful in emergency situations, once coming to cable a massive, heritage oak in our yard right before a hurricane was about to hit. Highly recommend.
Travis Larson
Travis Larson
December 10, 2021.
Verified
RTEC did an excellent job onsite of removing dead branches from our 80+ year old trees, and trimming other growth too close to our home.
Google rating score: 4.8 of 5, based on 185 reviews.

Resources Library

  • Tree Removal
  • Tree Maintenance
  • Tree Problems
  • Environmental Services
  • Seasonal Tree Care

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
ADDRESS:
2828 Mary Street
Falls Church, VA 22042

EMAIL: admin@rtectreecare.com
PHONE: 703.573.3029

Copyright © 2022 · RTEC Tree Care · All Rights Reserved

  • TERMS AND CONDITIONS
  • Privacy Policy
  • COOKIE POLICY