Say 10 - 12 years after planting. And not a record-breaking drought. Just normal droughts in the summer.
@Zone6
I am in southern California. The native plants here are annuals, plus perennial shrubs that are dormant in the summer. Native trees grow either on the immediate coast or alongside a few seasonal creeks where their roots can get at the aquifer further down. There are also mountain areas with conifers.
Normally in the metropolitan areas it rains perhaps twice in the summer, and then only a few inches. Total annual rainfall is perhaps 20 inches in a good year. In drought years we have about 10 inches total.
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This works ok for Fig trees and grapes which I never water after established for a year, but I know of no other type of fruits that do not require water when there’s no rain for two weeks; without steady nutrients including water you can’t expect much fruit to mature. Without adequate water a tree cannot utilize soil nutrients.
Dennis
Kent Wa
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I don’t plan to water them much after they’re established, since I am growing those with water requirements equal to or less than my location provides. But if it doesn’t rain for a week or two, I’ll put on my system for them for sure
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I’m a state and a half south of you and I have never watered any of mine except after the initial planting. Normal east coast years have more than enough rain.
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Same here in southern middle TN…
Most of my fruit trees get watered in good when planting… but that is it.
The first and second year they get a good load of compost and wood chips… which really helps them retain water.
After that wood chips in the early spring, chop and drop in summer, maple leaves in the fall…then wood chips again the next early spring.
We can have some extended droughts and heat… 4 5 6 weeks… late summer, early fall.
We are in a period like that now but the only trees that have been watered are new ones planted this spring.
TNHunter
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In a bad drought, I’ve watered them. When they start to look stressed.
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I too used to just water my newly transplanted trees, usually dug up as bare root from my nursery. After a year in the orchard and subjected to the usual 70+ inches of rain from winter thru spring the new trees are usually able to take care of themselves.
However, recent years of dry and hotter weather have not only forced me into irrigating the new trees for years but also my older, established trees.
Even if the tree doesnt die, drop its leaves, turn yellow, stop growing, it will at the least produce inferior fruit if any.
Also what hasn’t been clarified here is what genus of trees we are talking about.
Apples are pretty hardy, stone fruit not so much.
Over the last few years our coldest period of the winter has happened in December. If we have a prolonged, warm, dry, fall i have to make sure that the peaches and plums go into fall and winter well watered. I have lost several peach trees for not paying attention to this and parts of a few Japanese plums.
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I have been watering my trees. We are borderline severe drought here in Southern Illinois. My oldest tree is about 5 years old.
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