[ZoSo925]

Hello, I just had some new trees planted from local nursery and I'm confused exactly what to do. I am hearing conflicting information. I got a total of 6 24" Trees and they are all using 4 GPH drip heads on them

2 - Vitex - Each tree has (3) 4 GPH Drip Heads
2- Palo Verde Museum has (2) 4 GHP Drip Heads
2- Acacia Salicina Willow has (2) 4 GHP Drip Heads

Exactly how long should I set the drip times per day, especially with the summer heat ?
I have it set to Drip 1 Hour in the morning and the Nursery told me for the first 10 days water it again later during the day.
Now they are telling me I have to water it again at night. That is not what the foreman told me. So what exactly do I do ????? Have it drip for how long in the morning and should I set it to drip again around 5pm for how long?

I spent a lot of money on these trees and cant find any information for me to fully understand what exactly to do.

[lvoc]

Originally Posted by ZoSo925

Hello, I just had some new trees planted from local nursery and I'm confused exactly what to do. I am hearing conflicting information. I got a total of 6 24" Trees and they are all using 4 GPH drip heads on them

2 - Vitex - Each tree has (3) 4 GPH Drip Heads
2- Palo Verde Museum has (2) 4 GHP Drip Heads
2- Acacia Salicina Willow has (2) 4 GHP Drip Heads

Exactly how long should I set the drip times per day, especially with the summer heat ?
I have it set to Drip 1 Hour in the morning and the Nursery told me for the first 10 days water it again later during the day.
Now they are telling me I have to water it again at night. That is not what the foreman told me. So what exactly do I do ????? Have it drip for how long in the morning and should I set it to drip again around 5pm for how long?

I spent a lot of money on these trees and cant find any information for me to fully understand what exactly to do.

Look them up on the internet. You will find a gallons per day number some where. You might also asked whoever installed them. I would suspect you don't need very much once established. At most half an hour or an hour a day...dropping off to once a week or less in the winter.

For now hit them twice a day for an hour. If it does not run off it is not too much. Freshly planted loves and needs water.

First couple of days I would hit them with the hose as well.

[MSchu]

I have mine running three cycles a day... on early morning, one mid day and one early evening... the fourth cycle is off.

you got yourself three of the most common trees there... I am sure what ever you do will be okay.

[Buzz123]

I run mine for 15 minutes twice a day, but not morning and evening. I run one cycle followed almost immediately by the next cycle. I'll probably be cutting that back because of high water bills. In the past they've done fine on one 20 minute cycle once a day. If they are desert trees and plants they know how to survive desert heat.

But if you really want the best advice, call the Springs Preserve and talk to a master gardener.

[NLVgal]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

I run mine for 15 minutes twice a day, but not morning and evening. I run one cycle followed almost immediately by the next cycle. I'll probably be cutting that back because of high water bills. In the past they've done fine on one 20 minute cycle once a day. If they are desert trees and plants they know how to survive desert heat.

But if you really want the best advice, call the Springs Preserve and talk to a master gardener.

^^ This

[ZoSo925]

i was thinking about calling the spring reserve, they seem to be the best source. I may go there in person just to check it out too, thanks

[dynimagelv]

Originally Posted by ZoSo925

i was thinking about calling the spring reserve, they seem to be the best source. I may go there in person just to check it out too, thanks

ALSO don't forget Plant World on Charleston.....the MOST Expert advice in town outside of Lynn Mills.

[NLVgal]

Originally Posted by dynimagelv

ALSO don't forget Plant World on Charleston.....the MOST Expert advice in town outside of Lynn Mills.

Lynn speaks at Plant World on occasion, as does Leslie, the tomato lady. It's also a great day trip. It's a great nursery.

[Scott456]

I had a landscaper planted 2 desert pines and 1 African Sumac 5 months ago, all are 5 ft tall baby trees. The landscaper installed a dripping system and the timer. Soon after that I went out of town for a month and half. When I got back, I found that the landscaper forgot to turn on the timer. I was amazed that these trees survived without water for 1.5 months.
Since then, I have the timer set to drip water for 6 minutes every night, and the plants are very healthy so far.

[Michael-MS]

Be very careful to not water the Willow Acacias every day. You should verify with someone more experienced but I believe that will kill them over time. Willow Acacias are very drought tolerant and dependent. You will want to water them VERY deeply and very infrequently. Even when freshly planted you don't want to water more than once a week and once established more like once a month.

The problem with over watering is that you will get root rot. Even worse, if you water frequently but not deeply then you can cause the salt in our soil to rise up. The frequent, but not deep watering causes salt to rise to the surface. We have very high salt content in our soil. The salt then gets stuck in the root system of the tree and will cause your leaves to turn spotty or yellow from lack of iron and eventually die. If you have already made this mistake and see some yellow spotting then you can spray your tree with iron and fix the watering schedule so it doesn't happen again. A deep watering will clear out the salt in the soil.

And of course, keep in mind that Vegas soil does not drain... at all. You can test this when you dig the hole. Fill it with water and you'll see it sit there for hours. This is why a slow drip is good, but definitely more like once a week, not once a day.

Also, this is a horrible time to plant a tree. It is true that you don't want it to dry out when freshly planted, which is hard in 106 degree weather. You'll need a soil tester that goes 12-24" deep to check the soil and then water as needed to do it properly. I planted my Willow Acacias (15 gallon size) in the spring and have only watered them once a week and they are as healthy as can be. But if I were to plant them now, it may require water every couple of days if you notice it drying out that much. But most importantly, if you leave it on a drip cycle every day during the winter you will surely kill it.