How much to water established fruit trees in Happy Valley OR - Ask Extension
Three years ago we bought a house with an established fruit orchard of 12 apple, pear and cherry trees.
How often and how much should we be waterin...
Knowledgebase
How much to water established fruit trees in Happy Valley OR #878997
Asked July 27, 2024, 10:33 AM EDT
Three years ago we bought a house with an established fruit orchard of 12 apple, pear and cherry trees.
How often and how much should we be watering them in the summer, and also how much in spring and fall?
We are watering every other day with oscillating sprinklers. Thank you.
Clackamas County Oregon
Expert Response
The amount of irrigation depends on several factors. Including age of tree, rooting depth of trees, soil type (which influences water holding capacity and infiltration rates.
It's recommended to water deeply and water fewer times per week.
Oregon State University Extension's publication:
Growing Tree Fruits and Nuts in the Home Orchard recommends watering mature trees deeply every 2-3 weeks in the summer. Again this depends on the weather, root depth of trees, and soil type.
Here's the irrigation section from the publication:
Irrigation
Mature fruit trees in eastern and southern Oregon need periodic irrigation—even in western Oregon, an occasional irrigation may be helpful. Water long enough, usually 12 to 24 hours, to wet the top 2 to 3 feet of soil.
It’s not necessary to irrigate more than half of the tree’s root system if you supply water often enough. Usually, every 2 or 3 weeks is enough.
For a more technical description of calculating fruit tree irrigation needs review this publication from University of California Extension about irrigation for the home orchard:
https://homeorchard.ucanr.edu/The_Big_Picture/Irrigation/
It's recommended to water deeply and water fewer times per week.
Oregon State University Extension's publication:
Growing Tree Fruits and Nuts in the Home Orchard recommends watering mature trees deeply every 2-3 weeks in the summer. Again this depends on the weather, root depth of trees, and soil type.
Here's the irrigation section from the publication:
Irrigation
Mature fruit trees in eastern and southern Oregon need periodic irrigation—even in western Oregon, an occasional irrigation may be helpful. Water long enough, usually 12 to 24 hours, to wet the top 2 to 3 feet of soil.
It’s not necessary to irrigate more than half of the tree’s root system if you supply water often enough. Usually, every 2 or 3 weeks is enough.
For a more technical description of calculating fruit tree irrigation needs review this publication from University of California Extension about irrigation for the home orchard:
https://homeorchard.ucanr.edu/The_Big_Picture/Irrigation/
