Hi all,
I have a microsprinkler setup on some of my fruit trees that put out about 8gph. A small portion of the spray hits the tree trunks. I was just wondering what you guys think about the trunks getting wet, above the graft line, on a regular basis (ie; 1-2x/week)? Is this going to cause rot or bark issues? I really like the sprinklers because they keep a large portion of the soil wetted.
Thanks for the advice,
Sean
I don’t think that would be a problem. Your in zone 10a and I am guessing in an area that has little summer rain. Here we get rains in the summer and the trunks are soaked with water from rain fall on a regular basis.
Depending on how high your microsprinkler sprays water you may have a problem with wetting leaves. I would avoid getting the leaves wet since that could lead to disease problems. Or at least minimize the period the leaves are exposed to water by watering in the early morning and allowing the sun to dry the leaves quickly. But otherwise you should be fine for the usual pome and stone fruits.
Ok thank you that makes sense. We are VERY dry here in the summer…AKA zero rainfall. I was mainly concerned about water pooling in the healing graft callous of young trees. Your response is helpfull!!
You’re probably ok, but you may want to consider adjusting it during the winter when the trees go dormant. I lost 3 potted figs over the winter, probably to over watering, but maybe also due to having the sprinkler heads spraying directly on the trunk. One of the signs was the bark rotting right at the soil level, even though this particular tree didn’t go dormant. The leaves eventually wilted and the whole tree died.
I set microsprinklers towards my fruit trees when they are real small. As they get bigger, the fine roots are further from the trunk, beyond the drip line, I think they benefit from putting the sprinkler near the trunk and spray away from it. I use 180 degree pattern.
Having lost several mature trees to SOD (phytopthera r) I would do everything possible to not water near the trunk (even in dryer climates). If you indeed start that way for smaller plants/trees, don’t forget to move the 360 degree sprinklers further out as they grow. Or as @murky points out use the 180 degree spraying outward.
I couldn’t believe how spongy and water laden the roots of the infected trees were, when the surrounding soil was dry as a bone…