When should you water?
At about 6:00 he discusses how they determine when to water blueberries. Our location and varieties grown are different but I like how he decides when to water. My opinion is that this method would also be good for 1st and 2nd year plantings of most fruit trees.
Thanks!
I think his recommendations work extremely well for his soil parameters but he fails to mention quite a few things that may be different or may be improved upon, all of which affects the amount of irrigation you need.
remove grass and weeds from under the plants, they will both consume water and create a dense mat that hinders penetration.
mulch like there is no tomorrow. It will both help retain a ton of water while mechanically helping watering; water is absorbed by the mulch and evenly distributed, also helping with runoff. With a heavy coat of mulch you can learn to read soil humidity without drilling just by checking the soil underneath.
know thy soil. It will let you determine the best approach to watering. My heavily amended soil contains lots of sand, that paired up with lots of organic matter and very lose condition means that i can do the hose watering he talks against without runoff. Less absorbent soil would not work with that.
amend thy soil. You want it to be nutritious for your plant but you also want it to support the water realities of your environment. That should address absorption, retention, and drainage.
Engineer thy soil. Or how it is physically built on the ground. Some plants will benefit from being elevated, or have a dam built around them to hold water, or an entire underground trench to drain excess water away.
It pays to stack the deck in your favor. After that your plants will even be more forgiving if you screw up watering here and there.